


I'll always be there

by candylover13



Series: Lost Hyrule [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Anxiety, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, I know everybody has done this fic but idc, Maybe - Freeform, POV Alternating, POV First Person, Post-Calamity Ganon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Zelda is sad because she lost basically everyone, and Link is trying to help, i said maybe, other characters may appear - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:36:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26539711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candylover13/pseuds/candylover13
Summary: Zelda is trying to find her place in the new Hyrule, but it has become harder than she had expected. With guilt and loneliness clouding her mind, she can't help but feel that she can't go on most of the time.But Link has always been there. And he is decided to show Princess Zelda that not everything is lost.A sweet story about two souls wanting to be happy in a broken land.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Lost Hyrule [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090970
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	1. Not Before

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people! Welcome back! 
> 
> So, this is my take in this post-calamity world fic. I hope you like it!
> 
> This story is set in the same universe as my other fic "Before Everything Went Wrong", but you don't need to read it to understand this one. Maybe I will reference some stuff from there, but nothing crazy. 
> 
> Well, read and leave me a comment. English is not my first language so I'm truly sorry if there are some mistakes.  
> Enjoy!

"Run!" Link tells me, pulling me by the arm.

But it's so hard. It has rained for hours and the floor is a mess and I'm wearing this horrible dress and these sandals that make my feet slip ...

And I fall, and I fall, and I fall.

And when I open my eyes, Link is there, on Blatchery Plain, bloodied and broken, except he's not in my arms.

He's inside Ganon.

_What will you do now, Princess? Your hero is dead. You couldn't save him._

"No!" I scream, my eyes filling with tears. “I saved him! I have beaten you, I remember it "

_Are you sure? Or have you imagined everything?_

"I ... I"

_It's too late now. You have failed. Again._

"No! Link! " I yell, jerking in the bed. 

"Woah, calm down, lady" a man says to me. He has his hand on my shoulder and looks at me with concern. Next to him are two small children who look at me scared. "Link is outside, I'll go get him." Tells me. I just nod my head stupidly, trying to hold myself upright with the support of my arms, but they seem to give way, and I end up falling onto the pillow.

The children come to see me. They have changed their face of fear for one of curiosity.

"You look like a princess," the girl tells me. She has two pigtails and one tooth is missing.

"I am," I say, because I find it funny. I smile a little, and I sure look lunatic in my state, with my eyes half closed and my body full of mud mixed with blood.

And then Link arrives. He looks at me with the same concern that the previous man saw me. "Princess" he tells me with his beautiful voice, and I only smile because he is alive, and he is touching my forehead. "Everything is fine, rest." He mentions, stroking my head.

I nod and suddenly everything turns dark again.

When I open my eyes again, I am facing down on the pillow, and I can feel the saliva slide down my lip. It's hard to open my eyelids, and I don't know why. They feel like they're heavy, but I know I shouldn't be sleeping anymore, so I use all my strength to open them.

Once I manage to keep my eyes open for more than a minute, I give myself the task of getting out of bed, but it seems to be even more difficult than opening my eyelids. My body is so heavy, and my arms feel like Kakariko's noodles, and I'm starting to despair.

"Don't cry, calm down" I whisper to myself. I have to learn to be patient with my body, which is possibly emaciated from not being used in a little over a hundred years. One two three. I push myself up with all the strength I have, and I finally lie on my back on the bed, and terrible dizziness haunts my senses.

"You're ok?" a woman that I had not seen before asks me. "I listened to you while I was filling out your friend's paperwork." She tells me in a friendly tone. From my perspective, I can see that she is wearing the same strange uniform as the other man and the boys, so I assume they are related.

"Yes" I lie to her. "It's just that I'm a little tired."

"Tired?" she tells me, laughing in a somewhat exaggerated way, which makes me raise an eyebrow. "My dear, you have slept for three days." She mentions, putting her hand on her chest.

I open my eyes in surprise. I try to move quickly, hoping and praying to the Goddess that Link has waited for me and has not left in all this time that I slept. I manage to get my legs off the bed and stand up, but immediately fall back onto the bed.

“For Hylia's sake, girl. Don't get up so fast. " The woman says, taking my arm. "Come, I'll help you," she adds, helping me balance on her shoulder.

With help it is easier, but halfway from the bed to the outside my legs practically do not move. When we leave the tent, I raise my hand to cover my eyes from the strong sun. I suppose we are in summer, because of the birds that I can see flying and the colors of their feathers. A rich smell reaches my nose, and suddenly my stomach rumbles loudly, causing my cheeks to feel warm.

The woman laughs at me. "You seem to be hungry," she mentions. "You're lucky, Link will make today's lunch."

Hearing his name makes my heart skip a beat and I can't help but feel like an idiot. I don't know if the woman noticed, but if she did, luckily she didn't say anything, since we are near the camp where Link and the others are cooking.

He is in the middle of the place, stirring the cooking pot with a ladle while laughing at something. Around him, there are at least ten people watching him and laughing too. It is a unique show, seeing Link so close to other people and engaging in conversation. Before he was not seen like that, but almost always with that serious face that made me mad almost all the time. I wonder what has made him change.

As soon as he looks up he sees me, and he gets up with some violence, causing everyone to observe me. Suddenly I feel insecure, and I look at my feet, which are wearing the same sandals full of dirt and mud and my dirty and torn dress.

I must look terrible.

"You have woken up" he says enthusiastically, once he gets close to me. I look up and there he is, as beautiful as last time, with his sky-colored eyes and terribly perfect teeth.

He is so beautiful that it makes me want to cry.

"I can help now. Thank you very much" he mentions to the woman, who seems relieved that she doesn't have to continue helping me, and immediately Link takes her place, and I know that my face must look like a tomato and I can smell him and it smells like him and reminds me of Before. "How you feel?" he asks me, and I have to concentrate on answering.

"Good," I say, suddenly feeling more invigorated than before. "It's just that my body still doesn't work well" I try to show him a smile.

He laughs a little. "I can see that."

We both walk towards the little camp, and suddenly he takes my legs to help me sit in front of a wooden box and I feel like my heart is going to leave my chest and I contain all my desire to hit myself on the head with a broom next to me.

"Wait here, I'll get you some soup." He mentions me and I obey because it's not like I can run no matter what I want, but I don't tell him that and I give him a small smile.

He quickly brings me the soup, which smells delicious, and I thank Hylia that my stomach doesn't make a noise. "Eat slowly," he orders me, and I nod. I try a bit with the wooden spoon and oh my Goddesses, I'm sure this is how it must feel to be in the spirit world. I guess he notices because he smiles and talks to me again. “I'm glad you like it. It has chicken, it should do you good ”he mentions. "I'll go get mine."

I see him approach for another plate and he serves himself, while the others move away a little to allow him to pass. A woman looks at him the whole time, and then she sees me as if trying to decipher what is happening, and I avoid her gaze by directing my eyes to my hands, which are holding my food.

Luckily, Link sits next to me and I see him, and he smiles, eating in silence. He's kind of sloppy, making noises when he shoves the spoon into his mouth and a little broth runs off his lips, but I can only watch him like the great idiot that I am, and when his confused eyes are directed at me, I realize that I must look like a creep. 

"You have something in here" I say, pointing to the side of my mouth, to try to make up for my idiocy.

"Oh sorry," he says, turning a little red, and wipes himself with his sleeve. "I guess I should keep my manners now that I'm with royalty" he jokingly tells me.

I look with fear towards people, but luckily no one seems to have heard our conversation. "Zel" I mention, almost whispering. "Call me Zel"

He looks at me confused, but in the end, he just nods and continues eating.

I continue to eat, slowly but surely, and I can feel the emptiness in my stomach filling up. My hands shake when I bring the spoon to my mouth, but I can feed myself, something that I am infinitely grateful for.

"And who are you?" the woman who was watching Link earlier asks me. When I look up, I realize that she has come closer to us and I have her only a meter in front of me.

From a distance I had not been able to observe her well, but having her in front of me, I realize that she is pretty, with her black hair in a ponytail and her big eyes.

"I ..." I say, not knowing what to answer. "I'm Zel" I mention, and I shut up because I don't know what else to say. The girl continues to look at me and seems to travel me with her eyes, carefully observing every detail of me.

"I like your dress. Where did you get it? " she asks me, with a smile.

I look at my dress. Luckily, Link was careful enough to remove my jewelry, including the belt, so the only thing that stands out is the dress itself, which, although tattered and dirty, is still splendidly cut and light and fresh.

Things that may no longer be achieved in this age.

"It was from my mother" is the only thing I can think of, because it is partly true, and in that way, I am not lying.

"Incredible" she mentions, reaching over and taking some of the transparent fabric. "Although I think you'll have to get rid of it, it seems beyond repair." She tells me, shrugging her shoulders. "What did you do to make it look that way?"

"I ran away from monsters," I tell her, because, again, it's partly true.

She nods. "I guess Link rescued you, right?" she asks me, but sees Link with a smile. "He rescued me too, so to speak, although I'm sure I could have managed on my own."

I can hear Link huffing and I see him, he's laughing softly. "Yeah, sure" he mentions.

The girl lifts her shoulders. "I'll let you take the credit," she says, with a slightly flirtatious tone and suddenly I feel very out of place.

The hunger is gone, and instead, nausea stalks me, so I put the plate aside.

"You don't look very good," the girl says. "You're actually very pale" she adds, approaching, and I want to hit her so that she will leave me alone once and for all.

"I'm fine" I say, before Link worries. He just looks at me carefully.

I lean against the wooden box behind me and count to ten to try not to think about the nausea. Luckily, after a few seconds, the feeling goes away and for now, I just see how a large number of people joined to form a circle, all eating and talking among themselves.

"Hello," says the girl to whom I had told that I was a princess.

"Hello" I say, looking at her with a smile.

She seems satisfied with that and begins to devour her food.

Suddenly, I realize that this person next to me may look like Link and be named after him, but he is not the same man I met more than 100 years ago. This new person is more outgoing, and seems to know everyone, greeting everyone. This new person also likes women, but now he also smiles back. This new person cooks for everyone.

Maybe this new Link has a girlfriend. Maybe he's even a dad and has a wife waiting for him in a village somewhere in Hyrule. And I can't be a burden to him.

This new person doesn't seem to remember me completely.

"You're sad?" the girl asks me, watching me curiously, and I open my eyes in surprise. Something that I have never liked about myself is that my face is an open book, which can easily be read by people. It was a blessing when I wanted the courtiers to stay away from me, but a curse when my father scolded me and mentioned that I would have to reign in the future.

"A little, yes." I answer.

"Mom says that when we are sad we must count the blessings we have and thank Hylia for them." she says to me, while eating the soup, as if what she mentions is not extremely wise.

I feel that my eyes fill with tears and I get up quickly, ignoring the feeling of dizziness that haunts me. "I'll go cool off a bit," I manage to say, as I walk to the other side of the ranch, where the corrals with cows and sheep are, and pass through them until I come to a poor lonely oak tree.

Immediately, I drop under the shade of the tree and the tears seem to have no end. I don't know why I cry, nor am I interested in thinking about it, but I hug my legs and sob, letting go of everything.  
I think of Link and the girl, and how I could have been such an idiot. How could I be such a selfish idiot and believe that when I saw him again he would run into my arms and kiss me just as I had imagined so many times in my fight against Ganon and Before.

"Idiot" I whisper to myself, feeling the tears spill down my cheeks and my mouth. I feel completely stupid, humiliated in this terrible dress and now with my face possibly hopelessly puffy.

  
Count the blessings.

How many blessings do I have left?

Nothing, nothing left.

"Zel?" I hear Link's voice and I raise my face. He looks at me with pity, something that hurts me even more and humiliates me even more. He doesn't say anything else, but kneels down and looks me straight in the eye.

I hide in my arms. I can't stop sobbing, and my chest rises and falls rapidly. "I-I'm sorry" I manage to say, because I can't think of anything else.

"Why?" he adds.

I smile wryly "This is not the way I wanted you to know me" I mention.

I hear him let out a laugh. "Me neither, but I must say I expected it." Tells me. I don't know whether to feel better or worse, but little by little I stop sobbing. “You've been through… terrible things. Things that no one should go through. Any feeling is perfectly normal. " he adds.

I raise my face and there he is, only now he's crossed his legs in front of me.

"I don't know if I can tell you something that can help you, but what I can do is accompany you, would you allow me?" he asks me, looking at me seriously.

I nod, and he smiles a little. "ok"

I look at him for a few minutes, and he takes the Master Sword out of its sheath and begins to clean it with a handkerchief. When I see that he won't say anything else, I turn my face a little and see the beautiful landscape of Hyrule, with its green grass and insects that flutter non-stop.

I don't know how much time passes, but when I open my eyes, the sky is already turning orange on the horizon. I look at Link and he is watching me closely, in the same position as before.

"You are better?" he asks me, I nod quickly, but I don't know if I can ever be - better - again. However, he smiles and I can't help smiling too, and for a moment I get lost in his freckles and in the blue of his eyes.

Memories of Before come to me, of when we spent time alone, riding and laughing all over the country. I can't help wondering if he remembers it, or if it has been lost throughout the century along with the friction of our hands when we walked or the intense looks that spoke more than a thousand words.

There was so much we wanted to say and didn't say. So much that we wanted to do and that we didn't do.

"Okay" he mentions, getting up off the floor and looking at me from above. "We have two options. We can spend the night here and continue the journey tomorrow morning, or we can leave right now and arrive at night. What do you prefer?"

I watch him, and then I look at the sky. "I'd rather go now," I tell him honestly because I've never been good to people and even less to those who ask as many questions like the ones at the inn.

"Very good" he says and reaches out his hand to help me up off the ground.

I take it, and avoid blushing when I feel its warm and scratchy skin against my very sensitive skin to its touch. His help seems to give me strength and I get up easily, and soon I am cleaning the dress with both hands, although I know that it is beyond salvation.

"Link" I say, and he lifts his head a little. "Don't ... you don't have any clothes you could lend me?" I ask him because I know that it is very possible that his clothes will fit me.

"Wouldn't you like to wait to buy better quality clothes?" he asks me, somewhat uncomfortable.

"I just want to get rid of this damn dress" I mention to him and he widens his eyes as if surprised by my words.

"Okay" he tells me, a few seconds later, while he begins to search for something in his small pocket. I watch him, and I realize that his hand can go beyond what the fabric could stretch so I look at him carefully and curiously. Suddenly, he pulls out what looks like a red robe and khaki pants, and I can't help but open my mouth.

"H-how?" I ask him, while he stretches his arms to bring me the clothes, which I accept.

"It's enchanted" he mentions, with a smile. "I'll get behind you and watch that no one approaches," he says, walking. "I won't turn around, I promise," he adds.

I laugh a little because I know he won't turn around.

As I take off my disgusting dress, I feel the warm air slide over my skin and Link's scent hits me and makes me feel warm in my lower belly. I realize that he is behind me and that I am a few inches from his body, and my torso is uncovered. I could go up to him, and ask him to touch my breasts and caress my face.

We could do everything we couldn't do Before.

But again I remind myself that this Link and the one from Before are not the same and that he may not feel the same as me. This Link is very likely to feel uncomfortable and desperate because it takes me too long to put on a tunic and pants.

"Ready" I say, when I have finished changing. The trousers he lent me are a bit tight, and the tunic is a bit too big on the back, but I can move better with them than with the dress, so I appreciate it.

He turns and looks me quickly up and down. "They look good on you," he tells me, and immediately blushes a little, scratching behind his head, a tic he used to do Before.

I laugh. "Let's go before dark," I order and start to walk.

He catches up and walks beside me, surprising me. I still remember the times I begged the Link from Before to walk by my side, and I never succeeded, until the very end.

I smile and soon we arrive at the inn, we turn around, and apparently, everyone is already inside, because there is no one near the fire and the cooking pot is gone.

"Do you want to eat something?" Link asks me, and I can feel him watching me closely.

I shake my head. I squeeze my worn and dirty dress in my arms and look at the fire. Impulsively and without much thought, I throw the piece of cloth into the fire and Link lets out a small muffled sound.

The fire consumes the garment quickly, and within a few minutes, nothing remains but charred, black fabric.

I sigh in relief.

"Shall we go inside?" I ask Link, who just nods quickly and escorts me to the inn.

After a few minutes of paperwork and goodbyes, we left for the field on horseback. I am in front of Link, holding the front of the saddle and he has the reins in his hands.

"I feel safer having you in front of me" he tells me, and I can feel his breath on my ear. "I don't want to risk you passing out or feeling sick"

I don't say anything, and I try not to think about the warmth of his body or the muscles in his arms, which could easily surround and hug me. I don't want to think that I could get closer to him and feel his manhood as easily as plucking a flower petal. I want to understand that it is not correct and that it would not be the same because he does not feel the same as me, but it is so difficult that I better choose to look at the field and forget about it.

Hyrule despite adversity, has flourished and created life. In the distance, I see a fox that runs free, and I wonder when I can feel just as free. Birds flutter in the sky and ducks migrate in groups, just as they did Before. Time passes and life goes on. This is how it should be.

However, I can't help but realize that not everything is the same. The roads that were previously full of travelers, today seem to be empty, except for us. I haven't seen any merchants and there don't seem to be any buildings nearby. And I realize that perhaps the loss was greater than I had previously considered.

"Where we go?" I ask Link, trying to avoid thinking about the loneliness in the environment.

"Kakariko" he tells me. "Impa must be eager to see you"

Suddenly my heart is beating fast. "Impa is alive?" I ask him, turning to him.

He looks at me with a small smile. "More alive than you and me, I must add"

I smiled and I can't help laughing. My old friend is alive and awaiting my arrival. There are living people who support me and wait for me, in addition to Link. There are still people who remember me.

Then, I look straight ahead again and my smile disappears. There are people who remember me, and they remember what happened. There are people who know about my lineage and about the misfortune that I was for the royal family.

There are people who know that I had to fulfill a divine duty. And they know that I failed.

They are going to want me to correct my mistake as soon as possible.

My heart, which was already beating rapidly, seems to be going out of my chest. I raise my hand and touch my face, fitting my nails a little where my hair and forehead meet. I can feel a little blood slipping off, but my mind ignores the pain. I start to breathe hard and I can feel my chest rise and fall, but it seems like the air is not reaching my brain because my vision is clouded.

I feel like I'm going to die.

"Zelda" Link has stopped the horse and touches me by the arms, turning me towards him. "Zelda!" he sees me scared. "What happens?!" yells at me.

I open my mouth and speak with difficulty. "I can't breathe," I say, my voice cracking, touching my neck. I feel as if heaven and earth are closing in on me and all the space around me is getting smaller, and a fear of being trapped stalks me, preventing me from feeling my body.

He looks at me in a panic and searches his pockets for something, but can't seem to find it. He sees me desperate and then hugs me. "Zelda, no" he says. “I just got you back. I can not lose you. Please, I don't know what to do. " I hear his voice break. He stays a few minutes hugging me.

Just as it came, the feeling seems to suddenly fade away. I hug him, and I start to feel my heart beat normally again and the feeling of suffocation has disappeared.

"I'm fine" I say, after a little while. "Now ... I feel better" tears run down my face and I realize that the whole time I had been crying.

Link moves away from me a little, without letting go completely. "Sure?" he asks me, and I see that his eyes are cloudy.

"I think so" I reply. I look at my hands. "I ... I don't know what happened, really, sorry ..."

"You have to stop apologizing," he interrupts, and I raise my face to him. His eyebrows are drawn together, his brow furrowed, and I suddenly feel a little guilty. "None of this is your fault," he tells me, and I don't know what he means, but I nod quickly.

"Thank you" I reply.

"Can you continue?" he asks me, looking me straight in the eye.

I think for a few minutes, doubting myself, but the feeling has not returned and I want to shower and be able to sleep in a bed.

"Yes" I say, with determination. "Let's get to Kakariko." I order him, while I settle back into the saddle.

After waiting a few more minutes, Link moves the reins and the horse starts riding again. I simply look up at the sky, and I beg Hylia to please don't make me feel that again.

Link has gotten closer to me, as if afraid that I might faint or suffer from another attack again. His breath is now warmer against my ear, and his arms are closer to my body. I take advantage of this, and drop my head onto his left shoulder, feeling him tense up a bit. I wait to see if he has any other negative reactions, but after a few seconds, he relaxes, and even allows me to settle in better.

I know that maybe he is doing it out of simple courtesy and because he is afraid that something might happen to me on the way, but I let my heart think that maybe it is something else. I allow myself to take advantage of the situation to feel him close to me and imagine that we are more than two young people alone in a world broken by a destiny that we do not choose.

  
I close my eyes and the beating of his heart lulls me until I finally allow myself to dream of something more than nightmares.


	2. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the Sheikah Slate showed me is all I remember about her, and it was like reading a synthesis of a book: the essential was shown, but not the whole story. I could not help but think that maybe, more things had happened than I witnessed, but that I couldn't distinguish between desire or familiarity.

I remember the day I woke up like it was yesterday. That day I heard the voice of a woman who guided me to the light, a light that grew bigger and bigger, until finally it dissipated into the reality of the new Hyrule, the same place that had been my home 100 years ago.

Many thoughts in my head were confusing and intermingled: I did not know if what I sometimes dreamed was a simple dream or a memory from years ago, but there was one thing of which I was sure: I knew that female voice. I needed to go with _that_ voice.

When that voice had a name - _Zelda_ \- something in my mind seemed to have moved. _Zelda. Zelda._ The name sounded so good on my lips that I couldn't stop repeating it. _Zelda. Zelda._ It was so familiar and yet so strange at the same time.

And then I started to remember. And everything was even more confusing.

What the Sheikah Slate showed me is all I remember about her, and it was like reading a synthesis of a book: the essential was shown, but not the whole story. I could not help but think that maybe, more things had happened than I witnessed, but that I couldn't distinguish between desire or familiarity. Maybe I just wished it had been something else, and my mind modified it to the point of believing they were memories.

And of course, they were not. She was a princess, and I was a knight who became her bodyguard by simple luck. We could not have become something more.

So, it's very idiotic that my heart beats so fast when I feel her head rest on my chest as we ride to Kakariko. I must understand that there is nothing more than a professional relationship between us and that possibly it had been that way in the past.

And that it was terribly stupid to have lost my sanity when Zelda couldn't breathe.

"Hmm ..." Zelda groans, while moving her head. She begins to open her eyes slowly, taking a few seconds and finally straightens up, moving away from me. The truth is that it makes me feel somewhat disappointed, but I want to stop thinking about it as quickly as possible.

"Have you rested?" I ask her, and she turns to look at me half sleepy.

"Yes" she says to me, yawning. "Even though I still feel tired, yes" she tells, stretching a bit.

I laugh. "It's normal, I felt the same when I woke up in the Great Plateau" I tell her. She rubs her eyes.

"How long until Kakariko?" she asks me, and finally turns around and I can see her eyes are a little puffy. She looks at me expectantly, and I start to look around. We are close so I smile at her.

"Almost there" I answer. She doesn't smile, but looks somewhat concerned, and turns around again.

We do not speak again until we descend the mountain and begin to see the wooden Sheikah arches, which welcomes us to the small village.

I can feel the tension between the two of us, and I can't help but think that maybe I said or did something that she didn't like. I try to remember it, but I can't, and I feel pretty stupid about it. In the end I let it pass once the houses in the village look closer.

"Link!" Koko yells at me, running towards my horse. "You have returned!" she mentions, and instantly sees Zelda curiously. "Who are you?" she asks, unscrupulously and Zelda laughs softly.

"I'm Zel" she mentions, then turns to look at me. "I think we can go on foot" she tells me, and I understand the message instantly.

I climb down from Trunk being careful not to disturb Zelda, and at the end I open my arms to help her down. She moves slowly crossing her leg and then taking me by the shoulders, throwing herself a little. I hold her by the waist and our faces get closer, our eyes look at each other, but in the end, it lasts a few seconds until her feet touch the ground.

I swallow hard, avoiding thinking about it any longer. "Would you like to join us with Impa, Koko?" I ask the girl, who at that moment looks at us with confusion.

It seems to come back to reality with my comment, and it opens many eyes. "Sure!" tells me. "Racing?"

"No, no," I mention, and she huffs in disappointment. "Walking."

She seems quite annoyed but accompanies us anyway.

Zelda looks around with curiosity, and likewise, the few Sheikah who are outside their houses, look at us. Some widen their eyes and whisper; others just seem to be slow to tie the dots in their heads. Do they know that this woman who accompanies us is none other than the same princess of whom they have heard so many legends?

"Everything is the same" Zelda mentions, and I don't know if she says it to me or to herself. "Same as 100 years ago"

I don't say anything, because I don't really know what to say. I couldn't tell her she's right, because I don't remember what Kakariko looked like over 100 years ago.

I don't want to think about it, because not remembering makes me feel down, so I stuck my tongue out at Koko, who just laughs, showing her small teeth.

"Link, nice to see you" Cado says to me, coming over to say hello. When he sees Zelda, he smiles and takes a little bow. “I'm Cado, nice to meet you. What's your name?" he asks, without tying up the dots himself.

I widen my eyes and look at Zelda, trying to make him understand that it's Zelda, but the idiot just looks at me with a raised eyebrow. I point to her and move my lips without saying a word. "It's Zelda, you idiot" I whisper.

"I, hmm ..." the princess starts to babble. "I'm Zelda," she says, with some uncertainty.

Suddenly Cado opens his eyes wide. He stays like this for a few seconds and lies down on the floor, bowing. "Your Majesty!" he says, sorry. "Forgive me, I didn't recognize you!" mentions.

I laugh a little and so does Koko. "Why does Cado do that?" asks me.

"She's a princess," I tell her, and Koko puts her hands to her mouth.

"A princess!" she repeats. "Wow!" and runs to where her father is, a little ahead of us. I can't hear what she mentions, but from Dorian's face, I can imagine what it is.

"Get up please." Zelda mentions Cado, somewhat blushing. "Such formality is not necessary.”

"Thank you, thank you," says the Sheikah, who is redder than a tomato and I bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

Zelda walks at a determined pace to the steps of Impa's residence, but before going up she sees me with some nervousness. "Could you help me up?" asks me.

I nod and walk over to her.

"Go ahead, Your Majesty." Dorian tells her, who is bowing next to Koko, as she tries to do it in the same way, but loses her balance and has to recover a bit.

Zelda puts her arm around my neck, and I help her up the massive steps. She seems to have more strength, but after a few steps to climb, she has to catch her breath and so it happens until we reach the top and she stays for a few minutes breathing hard.

"I've never hated the steps so much," she tells me, putting her hand on her chest.

I smile, looking at her. "Ready?" I ask her, while I put my hand on the wooden door.

"No" she answers quickly. "But I don't know if I ever will be." She mentions me, smiling.

I nod in understanding and open the door for her to enter. She quickly passes in front of me and I follow her, until the doors close behind me.

Paya is there, cleaning the floor, and gets up when she hears that we enter. Impa raises her head with her imposing hat and smiles.

"Princess Zelda" she mentions, and Paya lets out a gasp "Long time no see, dear" she says, getting up from her seat.

"I-Impa?" Zelda asks, taking the frail Sheikah's hands. I can see her eyes fill with tears and her lower lip trembles.

They both hug and I can't help but feel like an intruder. I know Paya feels the same, but she keeps looking at them in disbelief, with her hands over her mouth.

I can hear Zelda quietly sobbing, or at least trying to, but her back convulses a bit and it's obvious that she's crying. I just turn around and pretend the walls of the house are very interesting. I can hear Impa muttering things to her, but I can't make out the words.

I feel a bit jealous, if I'm honest, that Zelda feels more confident with Impa than with me, because when we saw each other for the first time, our meeting was limited to smiles and a quick hug, as if she wanted to end with it a once and for all. But again, I must remember that I was nothing more than her bodyguard, and Impa a close friend. It doesn’t make sense to be jealous.

"You're back, which is the important thing," says Impa, loud enough to hear her.

I turn around and Zelda has sat on the floor, on a cushion that Paya possibly brought her. She is still in the corner, her head in a small bow. Impa has returned to her place.

"Come closer, hero" she orders me, and I sit next to Zelda.

Impa smiles. "The three together." Mentions, wistfully. "Like old times"

Again, I feel out of place because I don't remember ever being with Impa before. I glance sideways at Zelda, and she looks sad, her hands tightly clenching the robe I lent her.

"I suppose the fact that you are both here means that the Calamity has been sealed." The sheikah says, and Zelda nods.

"Yes." the princess replies. "Ganon is gone," she says, raising her head and looking at her friend. Suddenly, a face of determination and security has taken over her, with brows furrowed and her eyes strong.

I smile.

Impa laughs. "I knew you would make it" she says. "We never doubted you, Zelda, everyone in this village waited patiently for you."

Zelda doesn't say anything, but she licks her lips and nods.

The Sheikah looks at her curiously and then turns to look at me. "And you, Link?"

I looked at her in surprise and wonder what the hell she means. "Me?"

"Aren't you hurt?" she asks me, with a smile.

"Oh" I mention, and suddenly I touch my torso, where I can feel a little discomfort. "I think only some broken ribs" I reply. "Nothing serious" I say, but Zelda looks at me with wide eyes.

"Broken ribs?" she tells me, incredulously. "Why did not you tell me?" her eyebrows furrow and she glares at me.

I do not know what to say. It just didn't cross my mind that I needed to tell her and I forgot. I was more concerned for her safety than mine, to tell the truth.

"I didn't think it was necessary," I respond.

"I think it is necessary for me to know when my partner is hurt, Sir Link" she scolds me, crossing her arms.

I open my mouth to apologize, but Impa's big laugh interrupts me, and when I look at her, I see that she's laughing. "You haven't changed a thing," she says, and I wonder what she means.

Zelda rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "I don't know what you mean," she says, as if reading my mind.

Impa laughs and sighs. "I guess you better rest, Princess." Impa tells her, getting up from her cushion. “Your arrival is worthy of a celebration, and you deserve to be awake enough. It will be a long night tomorrow. " She says, walking away towards the stairs. "Paya, help the princess wash up and find her a bed to sleep on, please" She orders her and Paya comes to Zelda and offers her both hands to lift her off the cushion. Zelda takes them and stands up, walking with Paya. I get up out of inertia. “Sir Link, I think you can find a place to rest at the village inn. I don't think your protection is necessary here. " Impa tells me, and I nod.

"Okay" I say to her because I know that she prefers that I am not in the house. I bow. "See you tomorrow, Princess." I get up. Zelda looks at me with sad eyes. "Lady Impa. Paya.” I say goodbye, and then I run to the door and leave, avoiding thinking about the way those eyes were looking at me.

I walk in silence, with my hands inside my pants pockets, kicking a rock until I feel like someone is looking at me. It is Lasli, who has both hands in front of her as if to pray.

"It was the princess, right?" she asks me, approaching me and taking my arm. "Princess Zelda." tells me. I nod. She lets out a scream into the air and starts laughing. "The Calamity is over!" she says, louder than normal and the Sheikah that were walking around laugh and whistle and hug each other. Lasli hugs me quickly and then runs off, ecstatic and possibly about to tell her family the news.

I walk to the inn, feeling a lot of pats on my shoulders and my mouth hurts from faking smiles. In the end, the Sheikah at the inn doesn't even charge me because of the happiness he feels, and I lie down on my bed, feeling the pain in my ribs more pronounced than before.

I try to understand what is happening to me, why I am not as happy as I had been days before.

I have saved Hyrule, or so they say, and Princess Zelda is safe. I should not feel that way.

But then I understand. I have done my duty.

And now I don't know what will become of me.

The next day, I open my eyes and realize that the sky is already blue. I got up quickly from the bed, jumping up, and running to the bathroom, washing myself with impressive speed.

When I go out, Ollie isn't even here, and there's no breakfast. It doesn't matter, after all, I didn't even pay. I run out of the place and quickly get to where Impa is, and Cado and Dorian see me mockingly going up the stairs.

A-holes.

I open the doors wide and find Impa and a startled Paya who is having an egg and rice for breakfast. Zelda is not there.

"Don't worry, she hasn't woken up," Impa tells me, gracefully.

"It must be very tiring to be fighting for 100 years," says Paya, with a slight blush.

I guess she is right.

"Go ahead, Link, have breakfast with us." Impa invites me, and I listen to her without objection and help myself with some of the rice and fish that are there.

We eat in silence, but I can see that Impa looks at me from time to time, as if waiting for me to mention something. She has a slight smile, and I can't help but think she's up to something.

When we all finish breakfast and are clearing up the dishes, we hear that Zelda has woken up, and I see her coming down the stairs. She is wearing a Sheikah outfit, possibly from Paya, and her hair is tied up in a bun. When she reaches the ground floor she sees me and smiles.

"Good morning, Sir Link." Tells me, and I smiled to feel that he is in a more positive mood than yesterday.

"Good morning princess." I answer her. She also greets Paya and Impa, and sits on the cushions on the table.

Paya quickly goes to the kitchen and brings something that appears to be carrot cream and hands it to Zelda along with some bread, and again we all go back to the table to keep her company while she has breakfast.

Impa and Zelda talk to each other, while Paya and I look at each other with understanding. Sometimes we can't understand what they mean, and I realize they are talking about before the Calamity, so I feel out of place.

"I think people will be curious about your accent." Impa mentions, laughing. "You still have that spoiled girl accent from Hyrule Central"

"Of course not!" Zelda replies offended, and then looks at me. "Do you think I sound like a spoiled child, Link?" She asks me, and she looks at me, waiting for my answer.

"I don't think you sounds like a spoiled child." I say, laughing. "But you do have an… funny accent"

Paya laughs and Zelda crosses her arms. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you, that you used to have the same accent"

I open my eyes in surprise. Suddenly I remember something.

_Me talking to someone. I'm in ... Hateno. Yes, Hateno. And a woman laughs as she claps me on the shoulder._

_"If it weren't because I saw you when you were born, I wouldn't believe that you're from Hateno, Link," she says, squeezing my arm. “You sound like a central boy now,” she mentions wistfully, and I laugh uneasily, walking out of the store._

When I blink, I'm back at Kakariko, and Zelda looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, I was thinking of something" I lie to her. My heart beats fast, as I think about what the memory means to my past.

Zelda goes back to her talk with Impa, and I keep thinking, trying to remember something else besides that I was born in Hateno, but nothing comes back to my mind.

In the end, Zelda finishes her breakfast, and we go for a walk around the village.

They all introduce themselves to the princess and thank and bless Hylia for being able to see her alive. Zelda looks somewhat uncomfortable, but she just smiles, projecting kindness and interest in the pumpkin harvest season.

In Kakariko, Zelda feels welcome. I can see it by the way her eyes shine, which shows true happiness, unlike when we were at the inn with the other Hylians. Poor girl, I imagine she felt great discomfort being bombarded with questions and I could tell that she is not necessarily the most social person.

It is curious, to tell the truth, that a princess who must have worked with diplomats and politicians feels threatened by ordinary people. I wonder if it was that very thing that made her uneasy as we rode here.

We enter all the shops in town and Zelda watches curiously. Apparently, many were already 100 years ago, but many disappeared too. I can see how difficult the subject is for her, as her eyes cloud and her fingers twitch nervously in the fabrics she inspects in Claree's store.

"Koko is a great cook," I tell her, approaching from behind. She turns her face and sees me, somewhat surprised. "We can find her and tell her if she can cook us something for lunch," I suggest, and she smiles at me a little.

"Okay" she replies.

We left the store, and just as I had thought, Koko is excited to be able to cook for a royal princess. Of course, I help her a bit, and in the end much of the town gathers around us, waiting for the food.

Koko and I make vegetable soup, stuffed pumpkin, and honey-covered apples. By the time we're done with everything, all the people are staring at us with their mouths open, waiting for their portion of food. The princess looks at us expectantly and somewhat curious, just as she did all the time she was sitting next to us.

"Incredible" she tells me, leaning over the saucepan and staying very close to me. "It's amazing how well you cook," she says, congratulating me.

"Thank you, Your Highness," I say, and take one of the plates that was brought to me to serve her a little. Her fingers brush my fingers and a strange sensation runs through my body. Inadvertently, I stay there longer than I should, without letting go of the plate and looking at her with my mouth open. In the end, I shake my head, to come back to reality, and continue to serve more people.

As always, the food is a hit. Everyone congratulates me, but I let Koko take center stage, which makes her laugh and lift her head with pride.

After a while, the people leave, and Impa mentions that we should start preparing for the party.

I do not rest, because I have to climb trees and houses to be able to nail ornaments and flags. I help people take tables out of their houses and put tablecloths and candles everywhere. After a while I excuse myself so I can go clean again, because my robe is sweaty and disgusting.

"I missed you," I say to Trunks, stroking his snout. He's tied up outside the inn, looking forward to me. I take a carrot that I buy in the store from my pockets and offer it to him, and he eats it quickly.

Upon entering the inn, Ollie ignores me completely, as he is reading a novel or something. I walk past and grab my clothes, going to the bathroom.

I still have time, so I decide to stay longer than usual in the bathtub. I move, lying down a bit and let the hot water relax me, while I run my hands through my hair. I look at the ceiling, and close my eyes.

An image goes through my head. It's her again. _Zelda._

So long I thought about what it would be like to see her in person, that now that I'm close to her I can't help but feel like a… stranger. Our relationship, which I thought was one of friendship, feels no more than that of two colleagues, and sadly it makes me feel a huge disappointment.

But what the hell was I expecting? That this loneliness that invaded me for so many months would end with the arrival of who I thought was my friend or, as much as I try to hide it, my lover? That she would run into my arms and suddenly all these feelings inside me would make sense? That she would look at me and suddenly I would not feel so confused?

Of course not.

I hit the water and a stream comes out of the tub.

All those illusions that I thought were memories, they were nothing more than that, mere illusions of a lonely man.

Moron.

I get out of the tub and change into my champion tunic. When I come out of the bathroom, Ollie is gone and I have time to sit on the bed and think things over.

When this whole party is over, and Zelda makes her decision, I will accept it and move on no matter that I can no longer be by her side. I have done my duty and now she must decide what to do in this new Hyrule.

And if that means walking away from me, I'll accept it.

When I arrive in front of Impa's house, I can see that most of the town has congregated there. The tables I helped take out a while ago are covered with food and desserts, and they have put up a banner that says "Thank you, Zelda and Link."

I smile as I get closer. The first to see me is Dorian, who was scolding one of his girls for wanting to have a muffin, and immediately begins to clap. Soon everyone turns to see me and also claps loudly, as I move closer to the center. I scratch my head not knowing what to do, because I am not used to being the center of attention and the truth is I am somewhat ashamed that everyone is looking at me.

"No need for such a fuss" I tell them, but I can't stop smiling. It feels good to be recognized after all, and I accept all the hugs and gifts they give me.

"I knew you would make it," Cado tells me. "Never doubted you." He pats me on the back and walks away, and there is no one else I have to hug.

I chat with him and Ollie about cuckoos and the weather and cuckoos and crops until I see Zelda and Impa come down the long stairs.

Zelda is wearing a Sheikah outfit, but it's a bit more formal than normal. She has a belt embroidered with blue flowers and her hair is tied back in an elegant bow with gold clasps. When she sees me, she smiles and waves at me. I also greet her.

"The princess is very beautiful," says Cado and Ollie nods. I do that too.

When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, everyone claps again, including Impa. Zelda thanks with a shake of her head, and she doesn't seem as embarrassed as I do, so I imagine she was used to situations like this by now.

"Your place is next to the princess" Claree tells me, who arrived without my noticing. "Come on," she says, pushing me.

I walk to the table in the middle, and sit next to Zelda, who is already chatting with Impa while sipping some pumpkin juice.

"Hello Link" she tells me, once she notices my presence. "It's nice all this that they have fixed for us, right?" she asks me, with interest.

"Yes, it's very nice," I reply. "Thank you, Impa," I say, and the Sheikah only shakes her head a little, causing her hat ornaments to move.

After that, an awkward silence reigns and I get ready to unwrap the gifts they have given me. Some horse care books, a pocket knife with different keys and knives (I think it is an excellent gift, and I must remember to thank Cado when I am alone with him), some nuts, trinkets and a small notebook.

"Can I see it?" Zelda asks me, looking at the leather notebook that I carry in my hand.

"Yes," I answer, pushing the envelope away and setting it aside.

Zelda takes the small notebook and takes a look at it. She opens it, looks at the seams, looks at the paper and the little clasp that keeps it closed. In the end she hands it back to me and smiles. "It is of very good quality." mentions me. "I love to write"

"I know" I say automatically. Then I open my eyes a little. "Well, I imagined," I mention quickly, trying to avoid making it known that I have read her diary (and basically many people's diary). She tilts her head, as if confused, but then says nothing and smiles again.

"It's therapeutic," she says, and looks towards the center of the village. “It used to help me endure… rough times.” She doesn't look sad, but does look nostalgic, and she sips again from her glass full of pumpkin juice. When she lowers the glass, her upper lip is stained orange and I watch her with interest.

That interest turns into something else. Turns into a need to run my thumb over her lips and get closer so I can kiss her with my own. I wonder what they will taste like and if they will be as smooth as they look from where I'm sitting. Then I shake my head and realize that I don't know why my thoughts have gone in that direction. She takes the napkin and wipes the rest of the juice.

Suddenly someone starts playing the flute, and I startle. A slow melody invades the village and Paya has begun to dance what appears to be a traditional Sheikah dance. Her movements are slow and streamlined, which makes her look quite elegant. I smile and clap a little.

"Paya looks very pretty" I say to Zelda, when she also claps.

For a moment I think she's not going to respond, so I watch her, and she lifts her face quickly. "Yes, yes" she says. "She is a very pretty girl." answer back.

After a few minutes the dance ends and Paya bows. The whole town applauds, and her face turns a crimson color and I laugh because I am quite amused to see her like this.

But Zelda doesn't laugh.

After a few more demonstrations of dancing and fighting moves, the feast begins, the moment I've been waiting for the most. Unfortunately, they don't allow me to serve myself, so I wait for Paya to give me the wine so I can eat.

The starter is a salad with plums, followed by a carrot cream like the one they gave the princess for breakfast and finally they bring me the protein: it's lamb baked with honey and it's so delicious that I have to ask Paya to serve me another two times, until she looks jaded and finally brings me a piece of fruitcake. Before I can stick my fork into the frosting, which seems to be of the perfect consistency, I hear someone clinking a glass and I raise my face.

Impa has risen from her seat, and taps her glass carefully. The whole village turns to look at her, waiting for her to say something, and I look at her impatiently, hoping that she will finish quickly.

"Today is a day that will be remembered in history, friends," she says, raising her voice higher than normal. “We will remember this day as the day when Princess Zelda and the Hero of Hyrule, Link, arrived in our village after defeating Ganon, the Cataclysm. More than 100 years were those that we, her faithful Sheikah people, waited for the Hero to awaken and help the Princess to seal the Cataclysm once and for all. But we never doubted, we never lost hope. " Looks at Zelda. "My dear Princess Zelda, my comrade and friend for so many years." She says while Zelda raises her hand and takes it tightly. “I always knew that you would be victorious, despite everything. I knew that Link would save you and that together you would end the evil that haunted your nation. Hyrule is a strong and resilient country, which flourished and grew despite difficulties. But today more than ever it needs you. Seeing you here young and wise is a blessing for your country, which today is divided and lost. " Zelda looks at her with a smile, but that smile doesn't seem real, it trembles from the ends. "So, friends, let's raise our glasses." Impa orders, and the whole town raises their glasses, including me. "Let's toast for Link, the Hero and protector of Hyrule who has saved us all." She looks at me with a smile, which I return. "And let's toast for Zelda, the last member of Hyrule's royal family, heir to Hylia's divine power, and the next queen of Hyrule." Impa looks around again. "For Zelda and Link!" she yells, while bringing her glass to her lips.

"For Zelda and Link!" everyone says too.

I drink the wine and look at the princess.

She doesn't look happy, instead she holds the glass in her mouth for a few seconds longer than normal, but I can see that she doesn't swallow any liquid. Her eyes are glassy and staring at nothing.

She returns the glass to the table while everyone applauds, but she doesn't smile.

After a few hours, Impa says goodbye to go to sleep, and the real party begins. The Sheikah begin to sing out-of-tune songs and the wine spills onto the ground. I laugh, watching as Cado begins to cry for his ex-wife, cooing to the melody of the flute and the drums that have been brought out of Hylia knows where.

Paya tries not to fall asleep in her chair, but it seems like a difficult thing to do as her head drops suddenly without warning, and she quickly picks it up, looking around.

They all seem drunk and extremely happy, and I just watch them make a fool of themselves. It's funny, watching the serious Sheikah do so much nonsense. A few minutes later, Lasli takes me out dancing and I try to understand her strange dance with arm movements.

"You are doing it wrong!" scolds me. "Aren't Hylians supposed to dance?" she mentions, angry, and putting my arm in the correct position.

"Our dances are much more relaxed than this," I tell her, trying to imitate her.

She gives up and, in the end, lets me go on as before. When the dance ends everyone claps anyway and I look at the princess, ready to ask her to dance.

Yet when I look for her, I don't see her at any of the tables, and my heart skips a beat.

"Where is Zelda?" I say, although nobody listens to me.

I walk around, scared and angry at my lack of judgment. However, after a few minutes I find her.

She is leaning over a fence, feeding scraps of bread to the cuckoos. She listens to my steps and sees me, giving me a small smile.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming, but you seemed very entertained" says, as she turns to see the cuckoos.

I don't say anything, I just walk over to her and lean against the fence as well.

"You are still just as quiet" she tells me.

"And you keep giving me the slip" I reply. She just huffs.

We don't say anything for a few minutes. She has turned around and is now looking at the moon. I watch how the cuckoos huddle next to each other. When I glance at her, I can see that her gaze is still just as sad and that she seems to be thinking about something.

"Can I show you something?" I ask. She looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it?" she asks me, distrustful.

"I can't tell you," I say, smiling. "If I told you, the surprise would be over."

"Mmmm" she is thinking a little "Okay"

I smiled and started walking, taking her hand. She doesn't drop mine.

I carry her along the path, until we climb the hill toward the sanctuary. She watches carefully but follows me without saying anything.

I lead her down the narrow road, until I see what I want. "Get down," I order her, and she obeys.

A blupee emerges from between two bushes. I take my bow and arrow.

"No!" she says to me, dismayed and taking the bow by the tip.

"Do not worry" I say, taking my weapons away from her hand. "Nothing will happen to it, I assure you."

She frowns but agrees. Looks towards the blupee with attention.

I draw the bow and when I release it, the arrow hits the animal directly, which jumps like crazy, leaving a few rupees on the ground.

Zelda laughs heartily and puts her hands to her mouth. I get up and walk over to the rupees, collecting them all. When I turn back, Zelda is close to me and I hand her the rupees. She watches them and opens her mouth curiously.

"How?" she asks me, looking me in the eye in confusion.

"Some things have no explanation" I answer. She smiles. I rearrange the weapons on my back and walk towards the Great Fairy's fountain, with Zelda at my side.

When we arrive, Zelda doesn't seem surprised, so I understand that she must have met her by now, and that gives me a bit of disappointment. However, something strange happens: the fairies that usually flutter away from me, now approach Zelda and perch on her arms and head.

The Princess giggles sincerely, and I am very fond of seeing her that way, with little lights around her. I realize that in this way, under the moonlight and with the magical glow of the fountain, she looks beautiful, almost ethereal.

Unattainable.

She watches me, and I sit on the grass, crossing my legs. The princess takes a walk around the place, observing the flowers and insects that move everywhere. After a while, she comes right in front of me and sits down.

"Thanks, it's beautiful," she says happily. I just shake my head and look at the sky.

The stars shine brightly and so does the moon. It is a beautiful night, with beautiful weather and everything is perfect. It is a day to be happy, you can feel in the environment. However, Zelda doesn't seem to be happy.

When I look at her again, she's hugging her legs and her face shows concern.

"Why aren't you happy?" I ask her, forgetting any kind of tact and modesty that should exist between a bodyguard and her boss. She opens her eyes in surprise.

"Why do you say I am not?" she asks me, almost out of inertia.

I stare at her for a few seconds, and I can see how she's trying to avoid giving away any kind of feeling. "It shows in your eyes" I tell her.

She seems to open her mouth quickly, but then closes it again and looks down at the floor. She stands there for a few minutes, biting her lip and then looking up at the sky. "I do not know"

"Yes, you know" I say, because it's true. She again looks at me in surprise. "It's because of what Impa said, right?" I ask her, because although I'm pretty sure about it, I don't know anyway.

"Yes" she answers, quickly. We keep our eyes on each other and then she looks at the fountain, squeezing her legs even more.

I watch her, and I can see her eyes are glassy and she is blinking rapidly.

Before she can shed any tears, I interrupt her. "You want to go?" I ask.

"Leave?" she asks me, watching my face.

I wait for her answer for a few minutes, with a frown.

Just say it and I will.

Say it.

"Do you want to go?" I ask again.

She watches me and then looks down. Her eyes move, as if thinking about all the probabilities of what may happen if she agrees to what I am proposing.

In the end she looks at me again and frowns.

"Yes." She tells me decisively.

And that's all I need to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! I hope you liked this chapter <3 If so, please leave a comment! Thanks!


	3. Most prized possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I look into his eyes and realize that he is not the same one I met Before. That soldier who made me laugh, who held my hand in the fountains and who looked at me with so much love, died and everything that was left of me died with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes some NSFW.

It is funny to think how people want what they don't have.

I explain:

I, Zelda Bosphoramus, was born into the royal family of Hyrule. I was born as a Princess of Hyrule, a direct descendant of the goddess Hylia (according to the legends). My life was full of luxuries, with material things that I could obtain just by asking for them.

And yet I hated being a princess.

I hated dresses, ceremonies, and conceit. I hated diplomats, with their long hands and slippery tongues full of hypocrisy. I hated the court, with its bad comments, its disapproving looks, and its false friendship. I hated having to follow rules, hated having to explain everything I did, and did not do. I hated having to smile even when I was sad or angry.

With less intensity, I hated the servants because some were to be trusted while others spoke behind your back. In the same way, I hated the soldiers with less intensity, because while some looked down each time I walked, others tried to make my life easier and happier. Like Link.

But if there was one thing that I hated above all things, that was the building that saw me born, Hyrule Castle.

My father did not understand. He said I was ungrateful, and maybe he was right. But for me, Hyrule Castle was not a home, but a workplace, a place of entertainment, and a place to spend the night, but never a home.

It was big and gray. It was terribly cold, even in summer, for its wide stone walls could never be heated. It was huge, and there was noise all the time. And it was full, full of people who did not care, who rolled their eyes when I passed by, and who weren't my family. What is a home but a place where you can be yourself?

I could not be myself in that place.

There were times when I wished I weren’t me, wished I wasn't a princess, and I wanted to be an ordinary girl, coming home with scraped knees waiting for a cup of tea from my mother. And I would walk into my house and it would feel like home, where people would wait for me and care about me, and where I could be myself.

That is why, when I saw Link's house, as the ad in the front yard said, my mouth fell open and I couldn't help but look at it very carefully.

It was the home I had always dreamed of.

"It is not much, but it is my home" he tells me, seeing that I am enraptured looking at the wooden door. I hear some concern in his voice, like he thinks I cannot believe he brought me to a house and not a castle.

"It's perfect," I tell him, looking at him with a smile, because I do not want him to think that way.

He smiles and I can see his teeth. I sigh, preventing him from realizing I am an idiot, and look straight ahead again.

I can hear him reaching for something in his pockets and then walking to the door and opening it with a key. He does not go in, but pulls the door open, and signals for me to go through first.

I give him a small smile and walk inside.

The word I can give to describe Link's house is "cozy", because it really is the only thing that comes to mind when I see it.

I look at the small wooden table, the chairs, the tablecloths, the dishes, and the empty vases and smile. It is perfect.

I look at the ceiling, the stairs, and the small kitchen. And finally, my eyes stop at what they had tried to avoid.

"I-Is it?" I ask Link, but I already know the answer. My hand traces every detail, every jewel, and my heart narrowly and stops.

It is the Scimitar of the Seven.

"Yes" he replies, somewhere behind me.

I gulp. It is as if a lightning bolt went through me completely, as if what I try to hide in the bottom of my heart is fighting to go outside. And I try to stop it, I want to hide it, but it is so… difficult.

And it is going to be difficult having to deal with it every day.

But not only is there Urbosa's weapon, but there are also those that belonged to the others. Daruk, Mipha, Revali. Urbosa, Daruk, Mipha, Revali. Thinking of them hurts, saying their names hurts even more. Their names make my hand shake, so I turn away from the sword and look at Link.

"It's a great way to pay tribute to them" I tell him, trying to keep my eyes from filling with tears because I do not want to cry once more, and not in front of Link. Not again.

He just nods, and I can see some concern on his face. I do not want to see him that way, so I smile. "Why don't you give me a tour of your house?" I ask, with my hands behind his back. I am clenching my fists tightly, but he can't tell.

Link opens his eyes a little and then smiles. "Sure" he tells me and stretches his arm for me to take it. I accept it and we walk downstairs.

"Well" he begins. "This is the dining room." He mentions with some obviousness, pointing to the table.

"The china is beautiful," I tell him, and I take one of the smaller plates to examine it closely. "Did you buy it here?" I ask him.

"It was given to me with the house." Scratches the back of his head. "All the interior decoration has been done by Bolson."

"Bolson?" I wonder who this person is who could give him so much furniture and decorate it with such good taste.

"He is the builder of the houses outside" he mentions, referring to the curious geometric houses that are all over the place. I make an - _oh_ \- with my mouth. “He's kind of… eccentric, but he's a good person” Link blushes and my curiosity for Bolson increases. "Well, let's move on," he says, and we continue walking together.

He shows me the kitchen, telling me it is his favorite place, and I don't even ask why, because I already figured it out anyway. He shows me the cupboard and the small cellar under the stairs, where he keeps some weapons and articles that he collected during his trip, and of which he speaks with such emotion that his eyes shine more than ever and I can only smile.

So, we go up to the second floor, and it's his room. I let go of his arm and run my index finger around the bookshelf, admiring the little framed paintings, until I get to that, and stop short.

It is the photograph of us. Urbosa, Daruk, Mipha, Revali and Link. It is the day that they were assigned their title of champions when Mipha asked Purah to take a picture of us with the function of the Sheikah Slate.

If it were not for the trauma continuing to eat away at me, I would even laugh. Our facial expressions, our poses, everything is so funny that it reminds me of how we laughed for months when we remembered that image. I remember Revali threatening Purah into erasing it, simply because he was a proud idiot. Of course, Urbosa pretended to have snatched it from Purah's hands and erase it, but not before winking at me. Then I knew that this photograph would continue to exist forever.

It is difficult not to cry, seeing them that they were so alive that day and remembering that today they are so… dead.

A few tears run down my cheeks. Shit, I had said I was not going to cry.

"You're ok?" Link asks me, when he realizes that I have been watching the image longer than normal.

I do not turn around, but I wipe my tears and say "Yes.", Even if it's a lie. I turn to the side, and look at the bed (I think there is only room for one person in it, to my great disappointment), and then I see the bureau with a single withered flower, preventing the photograph of the champions from continuing to haunt me the rest of the journey.

When I turn to Link, he looks at me carefully, but does not say anything. I end up approaching the desk, and I see that he has some books and some ink to write on.

I wonder who he will think of when he writes and when he will.

After that we went out to the city, and for the first time after 100 years, I see a Hyrulean settlement that is not being subdued by fire or destruction, and I pray to Hylia that she allows me to forget the above.

Hateno is a beautiful and charming city, like the ones that were described in the fairy tales that I read as a child. However, like Kakariko, it is much smaller than it was before and I can't help those thoughts - _it's my fault, we are so few Hylians and it's all my fault_ \- from invading my head. Sometimes Link watches me, as if waiting for something like what happened to me before arriving at Kakariko to happen to me, but I always manage to distract myself with something else and that feeling of tightness in my chest disappears for a while.

Hateno's little houses are still just as charming as before, and I allow myself to smile for a while. The beautiful, cobbled streets lead to more and more beautiful places, and curious glances follow us. As always, the women see Link and then me, as if confused by my appearance, but they do not say anything. A chill runs down my spine, like when the women of the court whispered about me. However, I try to walk as upright as possible, showing some confidence, even if I do not have it.

We arrive at the small store, and Link buys a large quantity of food to fill the empty cupboard, smiling at the vendor. He introduces me as Zel, his new friend who will live with him for a while. I cannot help but blush and think that I'll be the gossip for a few days, and that Link is very naive. I expect disapproving looks from the salesman (Pruce, I think he is called), but instead he raises his eyebrows in interest and smiles at me, welcoming to Hateno.

After that, we walk to another store, and as I enter, I see clothes hanging on mannequins.

"Oh no, Link," I say, looking at him disapprovingly, knowing his intentions.

"You can't live wearing just my clothes," he mentions. I look at myself quickly. As I left Kakariko, I put his robe back on, to avoid drawing too much attention on the road. Although it does fit, it is a bit roomy in places, and my pants are too tight.

"But ..." I blush, and without thinking I bite my lip. "I have no money," I tell him, somewhat embarrassed.

"Who said you needed to have it?" he tells me with another of his confident smiles and I adore him so much that I want to kiss him, but I hold back. Instead, I roll my eyes and walk away, looking at the clothes there.

"Do you have something for a woman, Sophie?" Link asks someone, and to my surprise, I notice that in the corner is a young woman, whom I had not seen.

"Some, yes," she says, and walks hunched over to the desk, and pulls out some fabrics. When she stretches them out, I can see that it is an olive-green robe, but it seems to be a bit large. "I don't have your size, but I could fix it" she says, blushing. "Get up there, please" she orders me, and I obey.

I climb onto the pedestal and let Sophie measure some clothing items for me to adjust. I decide to adjust the olive-green tunic, and khaki pants like the ones Link wears, as well as a dress and a skirt with a white blouse with puffed sleeves. Besides that, Link also asks her for pajamas, which I tell her that it is not necessary to adjust and finally, I ask and beg her for some boots, because I hate these sandals. Luckily, Sophie and I wear the same size so she sells me one of hers until her father can make one of my own.

"Mmm ..." I approach Sophie when Link starts to admire some men's robes. "Do you have underwear?" I ask her in a low voice, preventing Link from hearing me.

Sophie looks at me shyly, but nods. She keeps a few clothes for me in a cloth bag, which she passes me carefully, and I smile.

I have to pretend not to listen when Sophie tells Link the total amount, which, as far as I can see, he pays with a few rupees, one of them gold. I blush, and I feel somewhat bad, since, at the moment, I do not have any money of my own.

"I'll pay you, I promise," I say to Link when we leave the store.

He makes a gesture with his hand. "You owe me nothing. Think of it as a welcome gift. " He tells me and puts his hands in his pockets.

We walked for a while longer, while he showed me all the other shops and places in the city, and introduced me to all the people there. Most raise suspicious glances but ask no more, and I sigh in relief. I'm glad I don't have to explain anything about me.

After walking for a long time, we decided to return home, because it is almost time to eat. Link leaves the grocery bags on the table, and I help out by putting some things in the cupboard, while he takes other things and starts cooking.

I can hear him start to whistle as he moves pans and cuts things. I ask him if he requires help, but he mentions that it is not necessary, so I walk back to the table, where I sit and look at him from behind, avoiding turning my eyes to the weapons around me.

He looks very happy like this, without worries or regrets. I can see his hair move and his arms pick up and drop things, doing all kinds of movements.

Suddenly, I think: What does he remember?

His mind seems to be free of the kinds of thoughts that run through my head, or if he has them, he is very good at hiding them, unlike me. I wonder, if it really hurts him that the Champions are gone, if he remembers his friends ... and his family.

Does Link remember that he had a family?

Images of his father come to mind. Sir Erol. Captain of my father's Royal Guard. Widower, and father of two. Link and Aryll, his little sister.

Would you accept me in your house even knowing that it was my fault that you lost your remaining family?

The tightness in my chest comes back, and I get up from the chair, walking away. Link looks at me curiously.

"I'm going to get some air" I tell him, with what little voice I have left, and he looks at me with that same expression as before, but nods. He does not seem to suspect anything, thanks to Hylia. I rush out of the house, one hand on my chest, and run out into the yard as fast as I can.

I stop at the apple tree behind the house, and try to breathe, but my mind seems to have forgotten. I flop down, with my back on the log, until I hit the ground and sit down with a thud.

"Shit" I whisper, crying.

I can not anymore. I can not anymore.

Tears spill and I sob silently, avoiding getting Link's attention, because I do not want to ruin his afternoon with my bullshit.

Should I tell him even though he will possibly hate me once he knows? Knows that he had a family, a father and a young sister who died innocently like thousands of others? When he knows that they both loved him completely? Does he know that, unlike me, he did have a home, a place where he could be himself and that he was not alone?

"I'm an idiot" I say to myself because I know that I am not able to tell him anything.

I am a coward, a selfish one, who thinks more of herself than what Link possibly wants. Because I am afraid that he will reject me, that he will hate me, that he will no longer want to be with me when he knows that I took everything he had.

I close my eyes and bury my nails in my leg. The pain calms me down, even a little, and makes me think more sanely.

When I get a chance, I'll ask you. I will ask you if you would like to know about your family, and I will accept whatever your reaction is.

I sigh and open my eyes. A man seems to be approaching. A man I do not know.

Quickly, I try to wipe my eyes as fast as I can, and get off the floor, brushing off my pants.

"Is something wrong with you, dear?" he asks me, with a funny tone in his voice.

"No, no," I say, shaking my head. "I just wanted an apple" I tell him, as I look at the apple tree and to my bad luck, there is not a single ripe fruit on the branches.

"Mmmm" the man replies suspiciously. "I think your arms will be empty" he says, looking me up and down. "I assume you are Link's guest?" he mentions with interest, crossing his arms.

I look at him suspiciously. "Yes" I reply quickly.

He moves his hips. "And what is your name?" asks me.

"What's yours?" I ask him suspiciously because I don't like the way he talks to me.

The man looks at me with a raised eyebrow and then starts laughing. I just look at him without understanding what is happening and look around me. "I like your attitude, sweetie." He mentions, and I can hear his effeminate tone of voice more. "I'm Bolson, and I'm a friend of Link." It is pointed out and I open my eyes.

So, he's Bolson, the one who gave Link the furniture. Right now, I understand what he meant by eccentric and I smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't know, Link had already told me about you." I mean, somewhat blushing at my rude way of expressing myself earlier. "I'm Zel" I mention.

"So, Link told you about me, hmm ... I hope he said good things" he tells me with a wink. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your… apple hunt, but I saw a stranger at Link's house, and I couldn't help being curious."

"I get it" I say smiling.

He looks at me with a sideways smile and raises his hands to shoulder height. "I must say I expected it." He turns his head a little "A man as divine as Link could not travel the whole country without finding a girlfriend." He looks me straight in the eye. "And wow, you are beautiful, just as I would have imagined."

I open my eyes a little. "Link and I are not dating," I say, pulling away my eyes a bit to avoid feeling his gaze on me.

He looks at me confused. "Oh no?" then laugh. “Oh, I get it, I get it. Young people today do not call it that, do they? " he tells me, winking.

I blush more. "No, we're not really dating," I tell him, and my smile begins to flank. "Seriously."

"Mmmm" he turns around a bit. "Well, how boring" he tells me. "Link is quite a case" he mentions. "Is he inside?"

"Yes" I answer. "He's doing lunch."

"Well, let's go then" he says to me, walking and making a gesture with his hand so that I hurry to reach him.

Arriving in front of Link's house, there is another young man in front of a campfire, and he gets up quickly when he sees us.

"Come on, Karson, Link is doing lunch," Bolson tells him, and the young man quickly gets up with a smile. "Link, dear!" shouts Bolson as he opens the door. "I met your friend in the yard!" he says, and Link walks up to where we are.

"Bolson, I have told you that you cannot enter my house without permission," he reprimands him, while leaving a tray of meat on the table.

"But if I didn't enter without permission, your friend told me that there was no problem, right?" he asks me, looking at me.

I don't know what to do so I nod.

Link sighs. "Okay, the rice is almost done." He mentions, returning to the stove.

Bolson and Karson sit at the table like they've done it a thousand times before and I do too. Karson introduces herself and then Bolson begins to recount his experience of how he met Link, and when he arrives, he just rolls her eyes and laughs.

The food is delicious, just as I expected, and my day is made more enjoyable by listening to Bolson tell his anecdotes. He's quite a funny man and very loud, and he reminds me a bit of Purah. Every now and then he annoys Link, and he just laughs, his mouth full of food. Sometimes he lifts his eyes to look at me and I smile back, and when I turn around, I can see that Bolson is watching us.

If anyone noticed that I was crying before, they do not mention it.

“The neighbors kept this house for a long time,” Bolson says, cutting a piece of mutton. "Apparently the owner was well-liked and respected."

"Seriously?" I ask him to continue his story. I have some lemonade afterwards.

"Yes" he says, making many gestures. “All the surrounding land was his, they told me. Apparently, he had animals and a few crops, but then he went to Central Hyrule to serve as a soldier and never returned. " he put a piece of meat in his mouth and swallowed it. “Some say they remember that a young woman lived here for a time, but she also left. Sometime later, an old woman took charge of guarding the land and the house, until she died and her children continued to do so voluntarily, and then they had no choice but to leave them to their grandchildren. Of course, many were in debt and sold most of the land to me. However, this house had belonged to no one, but to the entire town. We had to have a meeting and a big fuss to come to an agreement to demolish it, and then Link arrived with his bright blue eyes, and I had no choice but to sell it to him."

I look at Link, who is grinning widely. "And what led you to buy the house, Link?" I ask him, resting my face on my hands.

"Mmmm ..." Link moves away from his plate a bit, thinking. "The truth, I do not know. It was like a strange feeling, but as soon as I knew they were planning to demolish it I knew I had to buy it. " He looks at me, and his mind seems to be elsewhere. "As soon as I saw it, I felt at home." He says, and suddenly he let out a laugh. "And of course, I needed a place to store all my weapons."

Everyone laughed except me. A thought came to mind.

Link was born in Hateno, according to what he had told me Before. What if that feeling was nothing more than a reminder that this had been his home more than 100 years ago?

"Time for dessert," he mentions, getting up from his chair and interrupting all my thoughts.

The smell of the crepes put that thought aside. They were perfect, with a delicious blackberry jam filling, and I allowed myself to enjoy them with great pleasure.

After a while, Bolson and Karson say their goodbyes, and only Link and I are left again. We soon start cleaning.

"Look, this is how the mop is wrung out," he tells me, giving me a somewhat obvious but necessary demonstration. “First you have to sweep and then mop. If you want, I will do the first, since it is heavier."

I nod and as I go up to the second floor to clean the furniture and put away the dusty sheets. I go down barefoot and leave them in the cellar, taking others out of one of the trunks there.

"I guess this is the bottom one" I tell myself, seeing that one of the sheets seems to have an elastic. It seems the most obvious that this is the one that wraps the mattress, so I start to lift it as much as I can to cover it with it.

In no time the bed is ready, and I remove the withered flower from the vase, while cleaning what is under it. I arrange the papers on the desk and then go downstairs, and Link hands me the mop.

He mentions that you must clean upstairs first to be able to carry the dirt from top to bottom, so I do it. It is quite tiring, really, more than I imagined, having to move furniture and bend over to put the mop between them. I end up exhausted, even as Link helps me downstairs and I lie on the bed, breathing heavily.

I don't know what happens, but when I open my eyes, the sky is a different color. I realize that I have fallen asleep, and when I move between the sheets, I can see that Link is reading one of the books that people in Kakariko gave him.

He doesn't seem to notice, so I stay that way, watching him move his eyes across the pages of the book, and I feel a little warmth in my belly. I have a weakness for books, and of course, a weakness for men who read.

Although I think it's more the fact that I have a soft spot for Link and whatever he does.

"You're awake," he says to me when he realizes that I've been watching him. "You've slept a while" he mentions, getting up and walking towards me.

I lie down and when he gets to where I am, I have to be on my back to be able to look at him. He looks very handsome, with the light of the candles that illuminate him and make his features stand out clearly.

"I think I'm still not used to moving so much" I tell him, with a smile. He laughs.

"I understand" he tells me. "You feel good?" he asks me, with a little concern.

"Yes, I'm just still a little tired" I reply.

He nods several times, and I can see that he raises his hand as if to touch me, but before he brings it closer to me, he retracts and shoves it into his pants pocket. "Do you want to have dinner?" he asks me, as if changing the subject.

"Okay" I say quickly.

I get up and walk him into the kitchen, where he shows me how to make bacon and eggs. We eat that, along with some bread, and silence invades us as we eat. I realize that we both feel calmer when people are around, but when we are alone, we don't know what to say or do.

Sometimes I raise my eyes and I can see how he avoids my gaze, moving his eyes to another place.

"They were delicious" I say, after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes, very savory" he answers.

When we finish dinner, he walks away to wash the dishes while I clear the table, and everything passes in abysmal silence. Link and I go upstairs afterwards, and I can see him rummaging through the drawers and pulling out some clothes, along with towels. I sit on the edge of the bed, watching him and he finally gets up and looks at me.

"I'll go take a shower," he says, pointing to the window, referring to the bathroom below.

"Okay" I mention, somewhat uncomfortable.

He opens his mouth for a few seconds, as if wanting to say something to me, but does not say it and just turns and walks away, walking down the steps quickly.

I lie down on the bed and let out a sigh that I had saved for a long time. It causes me some stress not being able to communicate like I did before with Link, but no matter how hard I try there is an invisible barrier between the two of us, and in the end I can't speak comfortably.

It is obvious that it has to do with the fact that I know that this Link is not the same as Before, even if he looks the same and has the same smile.

The Link that I knew 100 years ago died on Blatchery Plain, and this new person does not remember half his life, or maybe more. It is illogical to expect us to get along as if we were close friends.

I sit up in bed and see them again. Urbosa, Daruk, Mipha and Revali. I stare at the photograph for a few minutes, recalling the memory of that day over and over in my head. They're there, just like they were a while ago, and they don't look at me, but I do look at them, and I can't help but think what they would say if they saw me, so pathetic and melancholic.

"You have to be strong, Zelda," I tell myself, hoping the words will make me feel a little better.

I try to think of something other than the damn photograph, and I decide to walk over to Link's desk, and sit on the wooden chair, taking the candle with me.

I look at the white sheets and ink, and automatically pick up the pen.

_I look into his eyes and realize that he is not the same one I met Before. That soldier who made me laugh, who held my hand in the fountains and who looked at me with so much love, died and everything that was left of me died with him._

Again, a few tears run down my cheeks. The page is stained with the tears that I drop, and the ink begins to run, forming an abstract drawing.

"Goddesses" I say quietly. "Look what a mess you are, Zelda" I wipe away the few tears that remain on my face, and settle on the desk, putting aside the pen.

Instantly, Link opens the door of the house, and I quickly take the sheet, rolling it into a ball. I can hear Link going upstairs, so I open one of the drawers and put the paper in there. I sit on the bed, crossing my legs and trying to look as normal as possible.

Link comes up and sees me on the bed and smiles. He has a towel draped over his shoulders and his hair is loose and wet. He comes closer to me, and I watch him, trying to avoid seeing his chest peeking out from the neckline of the night shirt he is wearing.

"I left you some hot water, in case you want to wash up" he says, while he sits next to me and I can feel the heat of his body, and a lump forms in my throat, because he is so close and I wish I could hug him and tell him that I love him even though he's not _him._

"Thank you" I reply, as I stand up. "Could you lend me a towel?" I ask him.

"Yes, they are in that drawer," he says, pointing to where I put the paper. "And if you need socks, they are in the other drawer." Says pointing to the one under it.

I open one of the drawers and take some socks, while sneakingly taking the paper and putting it between the two things, out of Link's sight. I take the towel and excuse myself, going to the bathroom.

When I go out, the sky is dark orange, about to get dark. I go into the bathroom and I can see that Link has left clean water in the tub, and touching it is hot. I rummage through the bottles and find some shampoo and soap, and I strip quickly.

The hot water on my legs makes the rest of my body shiver, and I slowly drift into the tub.

There are many things that I do not know, but one thing I can affirm is that there is nothing better than a bathroom. In the castle I used to have my own bathroom, with a swimming pool all to myself and a myriad of products at my disposal. Perhaps it was the only thing I loved about my home, because it was also the only place where I could have privacy.

Memories come to mind and I blush. Sometimes, in the privacy of that bathroom, I could give myself some time alone and… satisfy myself. I remember that it caused a great conflict, detesting my personal guard so much and at the same time wanting him so much...

Without realizing it, I slide a hand between my legs, and feel the warmth spread through my belly. I smile, thinking about the way I hated him for holding my hand when crossing streams and how at the same time I wanted that hand to go through my body and get there, right where I'm touching myself.

I let out a long breath and let myself go. I slowly caress myself with my hand, and suddenly Link is there, _my Link._

"I missed you," I tell him, and he does not say anything. He looks at me with such a dark and penetrating gaze that the warmth of my belly extends even further.

He comes up to me and kisses me. We fought a duel, our mouths moving rapidly, sadistically. He bites me and his tongue runs everywhere from my lips to my ear to my neck. I squirm and wrinkle, but he does not stop. I feel his hand on my breast, squeezing it and he takes my nipple, caressing it with his two fingers.

"Link" I sigh, and he lowers his hand to my leg, and I can feel him getting dangerously close there, as he kisses my neck. "Link, Link"

Suddenly his hand finds me, and I melt at his touch. I can feel his fingers slide out and reach that place that sends sparks of electricity through my body, squeezing it a little.

I let out a moan of pleasure. His movements are slow, his thumb going round and round. I throw my head back and he lowers his lips to my breasts, and I feel like I can't take it anymore, but suddenly he moves faster and I start to see stars, even though my eyes are closed.

"L-Link" I say as I can because breathing is failing me.

His circular motions become more erratic, and I can feel his tongue on my nipple, and he bites me, and I cannot take it anymore.

I let out a little moan when I am done, and slowly open my eyes.

Link is no longer there.

"Shit" I say, my voice cracking. My breathing is just as erratic, and my heart is beating fast.

A sense of guilt comes over me. Did I really masturbate thinking of someone who is gone? Who died 100 years ago? Who died for me?

"You're really fucked up, Zelda" I say to myself, touching my forehead with my fingers. "Really fucked up"

I lower my arm and led it to the floor. When I lift it, the crumpled paper is in my hand. When I open it, the message I wrote a while ago is there, blurry and distorted, but it is there.

I stretch my arm, and when I open my hand, the paper falls into the water. Little by little it absorbs the water, until it ends up disintegrating into a thousand pieces.

And I cry because it is my way of saying goodbye to my first love.

When I enter the house after taking a bath, I find that Link has put quilts on the side of the table. Hearing me enter, he lifts his head and smiles.

"All ok?" he asks me, with a small smile.

I nod, trying to forget the little incident in the bathtub. "Who will sleep here?" I ask him, watching curiously as he spreads the sheets.

"I, of course" he answers, but he does not see me, he is very busy fixing everything.

"No, Link," I say, moving closer to him. "I am the guest, I can sleep on the floor" I tell him, because I am too sorry to occupy his bed when I am also making him so uncomfortable being at home.

"I won't allow it" he tells me, and now he gets up off the ground and looks me straight in the eye. “I have slept many times in the open and without quilts. This is glory for me, believe me." He mentions, with a little laugh.

I just watch him with resignation, because I know there is no way to make him change his mind. "Fine"

He does not say anything, he just smiles.

I stand there, looking at him, and then I do not know what to say or what to do, so I excuse myself and go up to my bed, saying goodbye and wishing him a good night.

I am not even sleepy, but I throw myself onto the mattress, falling face down. I feel like hitting the damn pillow, because I really am an idiot who cannot talk to a man, something that has never happened to me before.

I do not feel like myself, but rather I feel in limbo. A limbo where I only exist, but I do not know what my goal is or the purpose of my existence. And Link is there, to accompany me, because he must do it, not because he wants to. Who would want to be with a whiny little bitch like me?

"Aghh" I growl under my breath and cover my face with the pillow. Why does everything have to be so difficult?

I sit up in bed, stretch the covers, extinguish the candle and try to sleep, closing my eyes tightly to prevent negative thoughts from invading my mind.

However, the dream never comes to me. An hour passes, two hours, and then I lose track of time until I look out the window and the moon is shining in the sky and the stars can be seen clearly.

I move around a lot. I lay on my side, on the other side, face up and face down, but I cannot sleep. I feel that something is inside me, like someone knocking on a door. Knock Knock. Knock Knock. I feel it in my brain. When I open my eyes again, I can see the damn picture of the six, and I feel like they are there, watching me, analyzing me.

They are no longer the Champions, it is my father who criticizes me, judges me, makes me feel useless.

I get out of bed and look at the damn photo. Of course, it is not my father, they are still the same old people, the same stupid poses as always. I bury my nails in the tacks and to my salvation if I can lift them easily, so I peel the poster off the wall and roll it up as I walk down the stairs.

Link appears to be completely asleep. I can watch his body go up and down at a predetermined speed and hear a slight snore.

I stealthily lower one foot, and luckily it doesn't make any noise. I lower the other and down several steps.

" _Shit_ " I say without a sound coming out of my mouth as one of the steps creaks. I glance at Link quickly, but he seems to only move around a bit and then continue snoring.

The next steps I go down normally and turn into the cellar. I leave the rolled-up paper on one of the trunks, taking care that nothing is going to mistreat it and when I leave the cellar, I can see that Link's silhouette is standing.

"Zelda?" he asks me, in a sleepy tone. "What are you doing?" he asks me, while lighting the candle with a box of matches that was on the table. His face and body light up, and I can see his eyes are narrowed and his hair is disheveled.

I look at him like someone has found me stealing, and I don't know what to say before I sound crazy. "I couldn't sleep," I say simply, and Link watches me wakefully.

"Do you need something?" he asks me, opening his eyes a little more.

I don't know what to say so I just look at the ground. Say it. Say it. "Can you… can I keep you company for a while?" I ask him, blurting out the words almost out of inertia and then mentally slapping myself because I look like a girl looking for her mother in the early mornings.

He opens his eyes in surprise. "Sure," he says, and then sets the candle on the table and stretches out one of the chairs. "Let's sit down" he mentions, pointing to the chair.

I agree and sit down. He pulls out another chair and sits right in front of me, clasping his hands, like a father waiting for his daughter to tell him about the mischief she did.

We remain silent for a few minutes, I move my leg impatiently, because the situation is generating anxiety and I only look at the weapons. So many weapons.

"I'll make tea" he says, getting up from the table. I let out a sigh and look at the ceiling.

I hear how Link moves utensils and lights the stove. The tea takes a few minutes, and then I hear how the glass sounds when it is tapped and when I look forward there is a small cup of tea on my tablecloth.

The tea is delicious, and the sensation of the hot liquid on my torso helps me relax. I stop moving my leg impatiently, and just relax in the chair, letting my limbs loosen like the tentacles of a jellyfish.

Link is there, watching me, drinking tea with the calm and infinite patience with which he can always be seen, and I feel so guilty for having woken him up from his nap that my lip begins to tremble.

"What's going on?" he says concerned and I stammer.

"Sorry to be a burden," I say, biting my lip because I don't want to cry, and I won't. Not in front of him. "I didn't want ... I don't want to bother you." I sip tea to keep my lip from bleeding.

"You don't" he tells me sincerely; he comes a little closer to me. "I invited you, remember?"

I just nod and go back to tea.

He says nothing and straightens up in his chair. He looks at me as if trying to analyze me, squinting and then looking out the window. "You said that writing helped you relax, right?" he asks me curiously.

"Yes, but ..." I sip tea and think about my words. "I don't know if I can write something... happy" I tell him truthfully.

He nods in understanding. "Do you like novels?" he asks me, looking at me again.

"Yes" I say softly.

He nods and suddenly goes up to his room. My heart skips a beat because he will realize that the photograph of the Champions is gone. However, when I turn around, he is already coming back and carrying a book in his hands. Upon arrival, he does not sit at the table, but goes to his "bed" and bents down, crossing his legs.

“Come” he orders me, while patting his side.

I set the cup of tea on the table and obey, sitting right next to him. Our legs touch and I can feel their warmth. I look at the book curiously. _-The vagabond ghost-_ says the title.

"Bolson included some books with the house," says Link, stroking the cover. "Apparently they were from the previous owner" I can hear he mentions this with nostalgia, almost melancholy. "I'm not much of a reader, as you can see, but as soon as I saw the title it caught my attention, so I read it in a few days." he says, with a slight chuckle. “I must say that I fell in love with it. It has a bit of everything: love, happiness, sadness ... almost like life itself, don't you think?" he asks me, looking at me with vulnerable eyes, and I can feel my heart enlarge.

I nod. We look at each other for a few seconds and he touches my hand. He squeezes it. I can feel it, I can see it. I immediately understand.

I'm not alone. I have not been the only one who has lost everything.

"So now I'm giving it to you" he says, and moves my hand to the book, and releases it.

I take the book and bring it closer to me. I hug it because it is my gift and my only possession in this new world, so different and so similar to the one we lived in before.

He smiles at me, and I at him. Our smiles are sincere and are the kind that makes you realize that there is someone else who understands you and is there for you.

"Let's read it together." I say, opening the book, my most prized possession, and I begin to recite the words on the first page.


	4. Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She doesn't hate you," she answers quickly. "You just haven't found the right words. But I told you, take your own advice: don't talk, just show your feelings.”

"Should I send her a letter?"

I've only been living with Zelda for some days, but I can already say with certainty that I know one part of her, and that's this:

Zelda-worries-too much.

I don't know. Maybe the fact that my life was in danger almost all the time made me become a person who takes things more slowly, but I think Zelda worries a lot.

I see her from the table. She walks around, looking at the floor and has her arms crossed. She looks like she's about to go to the door, but then she comes back and spins around again. Finally, she pulls the chair out and sits down in front of me.

She asks me, with her hands firmly on the table, "Is there mail?”

"Mail?" I ask, because I have never heard that word, or rather I don't know if I have heard it and have forgotten it.

"It's a service that allows people to communicate with others through letters," she says, looking at me with concern. "I can't believe it doesn't exist in this age," she covers his eyes with the palm of her hand. "I can't believe it.

I just look at her, and think of some comment that might improve her mood. "When a person or a traveler mentions that he will go to some village, they ask him to bring letters. I don't know if it is the same thing”

"No, no" she denies with her head, even covering her eyes with her hands. "That's a favor and mail is a service, you pay for that..." she puts her hands back on the table. "Maybe we should go back to Kakariko. Yes. I know I can fight against Impa, I know that if I tell her that I don't want to be queen yet she will understand.” She seems quite determined, and looks me in the eye.

I smile. "Sure" I only mention her, but then her face shows concern again.

"Who am I kidding, I won't be able to do it.” Her eyes look down. “I think I'd better wait for someone to travel to Kakariko to send her a letter.”

I feel like rolling my eyes, but I don't, because Zelda's mood is as changeable as Faron's weather and I'm afraid of what might happen if I say anything.

So, I just shut up and look at her. She looks up at the ceiling, as if looking for answers in the sky. I am struck by her eyebrows. I don't think I've ever seen eyebrows like hers. They're bushy, but in a way that makes her face look framed and her gestures too expressive. It's easy to know what Zelda thinks, because her eyebrows move in time with her emotions, which is quite cute.

She lowers her eyes and looks at me again. Her eyebrows are raised in the middle, which makes me think that she feels fear or sadness. "What would you do in my place," she asks, clasping her hands.

I am surprised by the question. I soon find out the answer: I would do whatever I want because I am free to do whatever I want, but I know that answer won't please Zelda because she is simply not like me. So, I reflect.

One option would be to go back to Kakariko and talk to Impa, hoping that she would be sympathetic to the situation. But if we did that, then two things could happen: One, that Impa would be sympathetic and allow Zelda to do what she wanted, or, two, that she would urge Zelda to seek the throne, which would lead to a fight and possible drama between the two women.

So, returning to Kakariko doesn't seem like a very safe option to me.

"I think I would send her a letter, like you said."

She doesn't seem to be very satisfied with my response. She babbles something and gets up. "You're right, I think it's the safest option," she says, and starts walking around the kitchen. "I have to think of ideas on how to address her. I don't want to be threatening, but I do want to show her that she can't change my mind.”

I sit down. She continues to walk around, circling the kitchen as she talks to herself as I've noticed she does when she's stressed. It's a funny thing, although I know I shouldn't laugh at her suffering. At the end of the day, it's just a letter.

"Why don't you visit Purah," I ask her, simply because I remembered that there is no one who knows Impa better than her own sister. Zelda stops short and looks at me with her eyes open.

"PURAH IS ALIVE?!" she says, scaring the hell out of me. She approaches me and I look up at her because I am still sitting, and she is standing.

"I thought I had already mentioned it to you" I say, because it is true. I feel flushed because I can't believe such an important detail has slipped my mind.

Zelda's eyes are still wide open. To tell the truth, she seems insane, looking at me like that and not saying anything. "Did you forget?" she frowned.

"Yes" I reply.

"And well, have you forgotten any other detail you would like to tell me?” she mentions, now with her hands on her hips and a scowl.

"Robb is still alive?”

"Robb is still alive!" she puts her hands in her head. "I can't believe it!" she walks away from me. "Link! This is important! Don't you see?" she asks, now with a big smile.

I have no idea what I have to see so I just shut up.

"The two best scientists in Hyrule are still alive," she says, with a big smile. "The one hundred years of technology that was lost during the Cataclysm can be recovered! Oh Link, you don't know what this means for Hyrule." She joins hands with devotion. "I believe that our country can be much more than it was before."

A smile graces my face. There is no longer a trace of the insecure Zelda that was a few minutes before, but now you see a young woman happy and excited about the possibilities of seeing her country in the same glory as before.

And then the smile disappears. Zelda turns her back on me.

"When..." she mentions "When I came back, and looked at this new... Hyrule, I just couldn't believe how much is lost..." she looks at me again, and her look is sad. "I wish you could remember" he says again. "The houses, the churches, the roads... how much was lost. She approaches me. "Do you really not remember anything?" asks.

And then I remember.

_I am walking in the middle of a busy street. But I am not alone. A young girl... no, a girl is next to me._

_"Don't let go of me," I tell her. "I don't want to lose you."_

_She smiles with irony. "What if I want to get lost?" she asks, smiling. Her dark blond, wavy hair sways in the breeze._

_I just roll my eyes, but then she smiles. I'm carrying some things in my arms, and I settle down. It's a lot of boxes._

_We keep walking until we arrive in front of a big building. I lift my face and I see the structure, imposing and tall. The cathedral of the capital, with its high walls and figures, catches my attention. I sigh because I know perfectly well who is inside. Zelda. She is inside the cathedral. She is so close and at the same time so far from me..._

_The girl seems to notice my mood, so she walks quickly. She rocks the little basket she carries in her arms and then looks at me._

_"Are there buildings this big in Hateno?" she asks, looking at me curiously._

_"No, not at all." I answer. "The tallest thing there is a windmill.”_

_"Mmmm" she turns around, laughing, while people look at her with confusion and laughter. She doesn't seem to care. "I wish we lived in Hateno," she says, and takes another turn._

_"Why?" I ask her curiously._

_"My friend says that Hateno is very beautiful," she mentions._

_"It's true. It is very beautiful," I add. Again, I arrange the boxes. My arms hurt so I walk quickly over to her. She looks behind me and I turn around. She is looking at the cathedral. A large crowd can be seen, and right at the top of the stairs, I can see the golden hair of the princess, who is leaving the building._

_I turn again to the front._

_"You're never going back to Hateno, are you?" I hear her ask._

_Her question confuses me, so I wait as she walks towards me. Once she reaches me, I look at her. "Why do you say that?" I ask her now._

_The girl smiles, and her cheeks turn pink. "Because she is here," she mentions, and begins to spin around again._

"Zelda moves her hand in front of my face. "Are you okay?" she asks, looking at me with concern.

I blink several times and sit down.

She stares at me with her eyebrow raised. She seems to be thinking about it. She moves closer to me, and I can see the light brown color of her eyelashes, and her eyebrows rise, waiting for my answer.

"I..." I say, while looking at her. "I remembered something," I mention, I don't know why. For some reason I can't lie about that, but still, something inside me tells me not to mention the girl, so I wait for her answer.

Zelda opens her eyes. "Did you remember something?" she walks away a little bit. "From-from before?" she asks me.

“Yes”

She opens her eyes even more.

"She puts her hand on her chest, like when she's insecure, and I don't know why she does it. "And what did you remember?"

"I remembered what the cathedral of... Castletown was like" I leave out the girl, just as I had thought before.

Zelda looks at me with curiosity, and some disappointment. She looks at the floor for a moment, then looks up at my face and bites her lip. "Let's see, describe it." She orders me.

"Ok..." I close my eyes, trying to remember what I had just seen. "It was tall... very tall. With big oak doors that opened wide. It had some colored glass that showed the ancient legends..." I press my eyes more, looking for details, but I remember more the sensation when I saw Zelda coming out of the cathedral. "On the outside there were some carved some figures... the symbol of... of the triforce... and the coat of arms of the royal family. I open my eyes and Zelda looks at me with a smile.

"Perfect, Link" she mentions, her hands on her chest. "Since when do you have these... episodes?

"Since I saw the images on the tablet" Zelda nods and walks towards the table. Then she sits down.

"So, there are certain stimuli that make these memories come back, isn't that right?" she looks at me, waiting for an answer and without realizing it she has taken out a small notebook and a pen.

I answer "Yes". She quickly writes in her notebook.

"On the tablet were images," she mentions, as the pen moves in her hand. "But now it was catalyzed by a word." She adds. "Well," she keeps her notebook in the small bag she carries in her pants and then looks at me. "This is good, Link, very good. That you are remembering about your past makes me think that your body is finally starting to recover from the great trauma it suffered.” She gives me a little smile, but something in it makes me think it's false. "Maybe we could do little exercises every day to try to catalyze more memories" she gets up from the table and walks towards me again. "Only if you want to, of course.”

I look at her. I don't know why, but I can see some insecurity in her, as if she is not sure what she is proposing. Her look is not in my eyes, but she has her arms crossed and looks at her boots, while she reloads herself on the table, as if she does not want to face what she is going to say.

Then I start to think. Do I really want to remember my past? Do I really want to realize all that I lost? What feelings will be born or reborn in me, once I know more about what my life was like 100 years ago?

I look at my hands. The reality is that I know nothing. I don't know who I was or what I was doing. I only know broad details about myself: I am Link, I was a Hyrulean knight who became the personal guard of the Princess of Hyrule. I am also the Chosen One, for carrying a sword that I have no idea how I got. Zelda and I didn't get along very well, but one day all that changed because I saved her from death.

But... is there anything else?

I clench my fists.

Who was I before I was Link, the Chosen One by the Sword? Did I have friends? Did I have family?

I realize that yes, I do want to know more about my past. Even if it hurts, I would like to know... who I was.

"Yes" Zelda looks up and sees me with a little smile.

"Okay," she says. She stops leaning on the table, and for a moment it looks like she's going to walk towards me, but eventually she walks away towards the door, and opens it. "Let's go to Purah," she says, with a big smile, and I take my sword, which is leaning against the wall, and go out behind her.

Side by side, Zelda and I walk through the town. There are children running around, waving at me happily as I pass, and the same old gossipy ladies. They always watch Zelda, everyone, and I know she doesn't like it because of the way she sees her feet every time we walk together. I would like to take her by the shoulders and shake her, shout at her to realize that she is being watched because she is very pretty and her golden hair and big green eyes are very noticeable... but I don't do it because I know it's not right, and I don't want to make her uncomfortable.

So, I just go with her, because I know that my company gives her a little more peace of mind. We start to climb the hill at a slow pace, and she looks around. There are fields and from the height we are, we can see the city, and I realize that, even though it has been more than 100 years since I remember, the highest buildings in Hateno are still the windmills.

"I should have known that the telescope was from Purah," Zelda says. "Where else would something like this come from?

We walk to the entrance of the lab and she looks at the fountain with the blue fire and then the Sheikah symbol. Finally, she sees me.

"Well, here we go," she mentions, with a smile, and begins to open the door when I remember a small, big detail.

"Hi Linky! What brings you to... HOLY SHIT IS THAT YOU?"

When I look at Zelda, her eyes are wide open. "P-purah?" she seems overwhelmed by the look of the scientist. "Are you Purah?"

I start to laugh because I completely forgot to tell her that big little detail, and then Zelda looks at me even with her eyes wide open. "Why didn't you tell me about this" she asks, but I don't answer because Purah has jumped on her.

"THANK HYLIA ZELDA I THOUGHT... WELL WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE! For the first time in my life (I think) I see the tears coming from Purah's eyes. The little woman is hugging Zelda's legs, who cannot move and is still in shock, looking at the girl on top of her.

"I am fine" she replies, and finally puts her hands on the Sheikah's head, and begins to comfort her. "Easy," she says, because Purah is still sobbing. "Just a moment..." Zelda separates her to see her eyes. "Didn't Impa warn you of my arrival?"

"Letters are slow in coming these days, my dear" replies the Sheikah, with a cheeky tone completely different from the sadness she showed before. "So, you've been to my sister," she mentions, placing her hands on her hips. "It is of utmost importance that you do not mention anything about... this!" she points to Zelda with her index finger and her other hand points to her own body.

"And what is this supposed to be?" Zelda points to her.

Purah crosses her arms. "A bad experiment" she simply answers. "But enough about me." She makes a gesture with her hand and smiles, "Thanks to Hylia you are alive, Princess.” Purah gets on the bench and suddenly she is more or less of our height. "I knew that in the end everything would be fine.”

Zelda looks at her, but says nothing. Then she sees Symin, who all this time has been watching everything from behind without knowing what to do.

"Oh" Purah looks at him too. "Come here, Symin! Say hello to your queen," she demands, with a smile.

Symin walks fast and bows. "Your Majesty" he says, calmly and gives a little smile to the princess. "Welcome"

"Yes, yes, thank you, Symin" Purah bids him farewell with her hand and the poor man puts the books back in their place. "Very good, Zelda. And now, what shall we do?"

"What shall we do?" the princess asks, with a bit of insecurity.

"Well, yes, I say, you will be queen, won't you," Purah mentions, her little arms folded across her chest. "We have to come up with a plan.”

"Devising... a... plan" Zelda looks at the floor and almost seems to fall so I instinctively approach her.

Purah seems to realize this, and sighs heavily, raising her eyes to the ceiling. "Symin, get some tea" she commands, and he grumbles to the second floor, his hands tightly held to his sides. "You two" she points out. "Come and sit down.

The princess and I settle down on the wooden chairs, while Purah moves planes and notebooks to one side, some falling to the floor with a thump. After a few minutes Symin arrives, with a teapot and several cups, and begins to serve us all. He walks away for a moment and returns with buckets of sugar and milk, and instinctively I take the liquid to my mouth, and immediately I feel a comforting tranquility. I smell the tea and realize that it is some Sheikah recipe that I don't know, but that I appreciate. When I look at Zelda, I notice that after sipping the tea her shoulders relax and her eyebrows stop furrowing.

"You don't want to be queen" says Purah, sipping the tea calmly. "Don't you?"

Zelda leaves the tea cup on the table, which makes the typical sound of glass clinking and opens her lips. "No," she says, very sure of herself, but then her eyebrows start to furrow. "Well, I don't know. I'm not sure... yet," and looks at the Sheikah.

"I'm not surprised, actually” says Purah, her posture quite elegant, somewhat out of character. "It's not like you liked being a princess before.”

Zelda's cheeks turn pink as she drinks the tea.

"Besides, I don't think Hyrule will ever be ready to have a monarchy again, not after 100 years" mentions Purah. "I'm sure people have enjoyed living in freedom.”

"But we can't leave Hyrule like this.” The princess says in anguish to her friend. "A country cannot live without government for so long. Now that the Calamity is over, we leave the borders open for any other nation to invade us, and also we can’t forget that the crimes will increase now that the country can be freely traveled through".

Purah slowly drinks her tea, then looks at Symin, who is quietly reading a book next to us. "Symin, why don't you go and check that the Ancestral Flame is working properly," she asks him, and I laugh, because the poor Sheikah looks at her with such an expression that it seems that he could be thrown at her at any moment.

"But the stone is glowing, that means..."

"For Hylia’s sake, Symin, come out and see the fucking flame!" says Purah, upset. "And you" points at me. "Go with him!" she orders me.

My smile fades, and I get up from the chair, offended, while the man follows me out of the building.

"By all the goddesses, if it weren't for her genius, I would have quit 30 years ago," says the Sheikah, walking around quite angry.

Despite our resentment towards the woman, we do what she says and walk towards the flame. The sun is setting, so there's a light breeze that makes me a little cold, and I instinctively rub my arms, trying to mitigate the chills.

We reach the base of the flame and indeed, there is nothing wrong with it, so we sit down in front of it, letting it warm us up. Symin is a quiet person, so neither of us says anything for a while. I just watch the sun go down, while I put my weight on my arms and feel the breeze on my face.

"You know..." I hear him say, so I look at him and wait for his words. "We Sheikahs grew up hearing stories about you two," he tells me, as he cleans his glasses. "Our parents told us the great deeds of the Hero of Hyrule and the Wise and Beautiful Princess. I never thought I would live to meet them in person. He puts his glasses back on and gives me a scornful look "I have to admit that the first time I saw you I couldn't help but feel a little... cheated? I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound rude, but I thought you'd be more... intimidating." He answers, and I can't help but snorting in disbelief. "That's the same impression I got from Princess Zelda. Legends show us a woman who was determined, wise and perhaps a little more confident. And I think I can say that no teenager is capable of that. Not to offend you or her, but... what was Hylia thinking when she put the fate of a nation in the hands of two such young people?"

I look at Symin, who expects me to answer something, but I just watch him and then look down.

I don't think he has realized that his words have really affected me, because he just lets out a sigh and goes somewhere else. I keep looking down, but every once in a while, I raise my eyes to see that he is not watching me, because that inexpressive facet that I always try to show has been broken, and I feel my eyes blurring.

And he's right. Maybe most of the time I feel confident about my abilities, but at the end of the day I'm just a kid. In the end I failed in my destiny 100 years ago, and that's why Hyrule has been devastated. Because of my failure the Hylians were left on the brink of extinction and because of me the little blonde girl I remembered a few hours ago died.

I swallowed saliva and blinked quickly to keep the tears from coming out. The thought of that little girl has provoked feelings of nostalgia and sadness in me that I did not expect. Who was she that makes me feel this?

Luckily, I do manage to control myself, and I just keep quiet, looking at the horizon and thinking about all the things that were lost, all the things that I could not protect.

The reality is that the Princess blames herself for what happened, but I had the same responsibilities as she did.

We both failed in our duty. This is the reality.

However, I sigh and get up, because enough time has passed to go back to the lab, and because I don't want to be with Symin anymore.

Besides, it's not worth grieving over things that happened in the past. Things that cannot be changed.

All that remains is to look to the future.

We walked and soon we reached the laboratory, I knock. The door opens and Zelda comes out, not looking at me, but I can tell she was crying because her eyes look pink. I look at Purah and I see that she is signaling me to come to her.

"I need to talk to you Linky" she says, with her arms crossed. "Symin, now the Princess wants to meet the ancestral flame." She says, and I can hear the Sheikah make a sound of indignation.

"But I've just come from..." he mentions, but before he can enter, I close the door, and Purah looks at me with a smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," I answer, with a smile, because I am grateful that I have fucked up Symin even a little, after what he told me there.

Purah walks to the table and sits down. I can see that there are some cookies and fruit, next to some plates full of crumbs. Apparently, she and Zelda ate a little while they were talking.

"Take whatever you want," she says, and I actually take some heart-shaped cookies and put them in my mouth. "Link" I look up because I am surprised that she used my name, and not the pseudonym -Linky- as she always adresses me. "The Princess told me what happened in Kakariko." I feel a little worried about the serious tone in which she speaks, so I stop eating for a few minutes, swallowing the rest of the cookie. The dough scrapes my throat a little, and I instinctively cough. "I can't say I expected this, but I did think it might happen. What you two experienced those last days of Calamity was horrible, and you may not remember it, but Zelda does. Purah pours tea and passes the cup to me. I don't drink it. "However, she blames herself for everything that happened. She believes that the responsibility for our loss lies solely with her. That is a lie. We all failed."

I clench my fists, remembering what I felt a few minutes ago with Symin's words, and again that feeling of tightness in my chest returns.

"But the important thing is that Hyrule is now safe. You and Zelda did your duty. We need to think about the future of the country, because it is currently in a very delicate situation. But, before that, I need to ask you a favor."

I open my eyes and look at Purah. She looks straight into my eyes, and for the first time, I see the reddish undertone in them. Although she has the face of a child, she looks serious enough to know that it is important that I listen to her in a very attentive way, so I stand up straighter than usual and sit down.

"You are the only one who can take care of Zelda." She says, even looking into my eyes. "She is very fond of you, and she listens to you better than anyone else. That's why, I need you to watch her. I need you to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid and I need you to motivate her to keep fighting for Hyrule.

"Me? What can I do?” What can I do for Zelda, if I am only a warrior? How can I motivate her to keep going, when I don't even know why I keep fighting?

Purah remains silent for a few seconds. She drinks his tea and then sighs. "Accompany her." She mentions. "Support her. She needs an arm to hold on to, Link. There's nothing left in this world for her." She sips some more tea. "Just as you found yourself in this new Hyrule, she needs to find herself too.” Looks at her hands and sigh. "She needs to heal... and let go, like we all did.”

For a moment I think Purah will start crying, but she doesn't. Just in her usually playful face there is a face full of nostalgia and melancholy.

We both remain silent, not knowing what to say or do.

I start thinking about the great responsibility that comes with the favor my friend is asking me, but I don't doubt for a second that I will work to fulfill it, because something inside me is asking me to take care of Zelda, in spite of everything.

"I will," I say, and the Sheikah looks up and smiles at me.

"Perfect," she says, and sips her tea again.

After that, we say goodbye to a more serious than usual Purah and an angry Symin, and we go back the same way we did in the afternoon. It is already night, and it is quite cold, so we walk very fast to get to the house.

As I walk, I can see that Zelda seems absorbed in her thoughts, and quite serious. I wonder what she and Purah have talked about, but I sense that it's not good.

Once we get to the house, the Princess goes straight to her room, and I light the fireplace with some of the wood that is there. When I sit down at the table, I look up to the second floor, but I can't see Zelda, or observe what she's doing.

I think a little about what Purah said and the importance of what he entrusted to me, but how can I help someone who doesn't even want to be helped? I think about these days, how even though we live together, the princess and I rarely interact outside of the required coexistence.

I remember the way she and Impa talked in Kakariko, and my heart feels a void. I always thought that she and I had had a good friendship in the past, but maybe I am wrong. Why is it so difficult to talk to her?

And then I remember.

_I'm in a stable and I'm feeding a horse. I don't know his name or who he belongs to, but I've always liked horses, so I give him some carrots and I smile. He... yes, it's a he, thanks me by stroking my hand. I pat him on the nose and go outside, because I remember that outside is Aryll, and I have to take care of her even though it's my day off._

_When I go outside, I have to cover my eyes because the sun is right above me and it's very bright. Once my eyes get used to the light, I focus on the front of me, and I see that the blonde girl is already on the horse and she rides quickly from side to side while laughing._

_"Aryll!" I yell at her, because I am worried. "Be careful!"_

_She sees me and sticks out her tongue and finally slows down until it's a gallop, and she approaches me._

_"I've done it a thousand times," she says, her hair waving._

_I smile. She's not as young as she used to be, I suddenly realize, seeing her like this, with her hair down as she rides. She is entering adolescence, although I find it hard to admit, and more and more her face resembles that of another woman, that I cannot remember her name, but that it hurts me to think of her._

_"Well, if you're so worried, I won't" she says, because she seems to have noticed the change in my expression._

_I make a gesture with my hand "Bah, I know you will when I don't see you" I answer her, and she gives me a very wide smile. "Besides, I think it's time I taught you how to jump over obstacles"_

_Her smile fades. "I don't know," she says. "It's a little scary.”_

_"It's okay, it's pretty simple." I take her by the hand, almost on tiptoe, and she gives me back a small smile. "You just have to guide your mount about what you want to do, and she'll know what to do. She'll feel it."_

_"But... how will she know I want her to jump that?" she asks, as she sees the big wooden obstacles on the side of the pasture._

_I put my hand on my chin as I think about my own experience. "Maybe you can talk to her."_

_"Talk to her?" his frown "She's a horse, she doesn't understand our language"_

_"Of course, it does," I say. "It's not the words, it's the feeling.”_

_She rolls her eyes and laughs. "Okay, I'll try."_

_Aryll gets off her steed and between the two of us we set up the first wooden obstacle. I put it far enough away from where she will start the ride, so she can have enough time before the jump, and I can see her hands shaking a little when we put it in place._

_I decide that for the moment it will only be an obstacle, so as not to complicate everything further. I walk away, and help her get back on the horse._

_"Remember, she has to feel it" I tell her, and she laughs again, and rides a few meters before the obstacle._

_I watch her as she settles down, the horse still trotting in place. She seems hesitant and a little unsure, but I watch her take position anyway, and finally, the horse comes running out at great speed._

_Aryll moves with the animal's strength and lifts her butt a little so that it doesn't hit her, and just before reaching the obstacle, she gets up a little more, pulling the reins with her, and the mare takes a big jump that without difficulty dodges the wood._

_I applaud strongly as I laugh, and Aryll excitedly gets off the horse and runs towards me. She hugs me tightly, putting her head on my chest, and squeezes me tightly._

_"I did it, brother!" she says, excited, "I did it!" She moves away from me and smiles._

_"Very good" I reply._

_After a few minutes we calm down, and return the mare to the stable, giving her a few carrots. After combing and cleaning her, we left there together, and walked to Castletown side by side._

_I sigh, because I know that tomorrow I have to go back to my guard duty, and for the first time in a long time, I don't want to. I enjoyed that afternoon so much that I find it tiresome to have to take care of the Princess, who does everything to tire me out and leave me behind._

_I think about the crush I felt towards her some years ago, when I only remembered her for her beauty, and I laugh in my insides. I never would have thought that I would end up being her guard and spending most of my time with her._

_"I was thinking" Aryll tells me, interrupting my own thoughts. "Maybe you should do the same with her.”_

_I look at her in confusion. "With whom?”_

_"With the princess" she answers, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Maybe it's not the words." She smiles at me. "It's the feeling."_

_I am a little surprised and I blush. The truth is, I don't understand how Aryll can figure out my feelings, but she does, unlike most people. "She hates me.”_

_"She doesn't hate you," she answers quickly. "You just haven't found the right words. But I told you, take your own advice: don't talk, just show your feelings.” She says, and I am surprised again by the wisdom in the words of a 12-year-old girl. Aryll laughs and I blush again. "Oh brother, you really like the Princess, don't you?"_

_I look at her, still feeling my cheeks on fire and nod. She laughs even more and holds my hand the rest of the way._

I blink several times and return to the present.

Tears run down my cheeks, and I feel a lot of things at the same time: happiness, love... sadness.

I was a guard for the Princess and I liked her for years.

And... I had a little sister.

I had a family. I was not alone.

Aryll… her name was Aryll. And she liked sunflowers. And horses. And pink dresses.

More tears are coming out of me unconsciously.

Where would she be now? Would she have died in the Great Calamity? Would she still be alive? Would she have had a family?

Is it possible that she has relatives? Will I be able to find her?

I hear Zelda come down and quickly wipe my eyes. Luckily, once she gets down she doesn't see me, but walks into the kitchen and I can hear water being served.

I turn around, and she has already taken water from a glass, which she leaves in the sink. She looks at me and gives me a little smile. She asks me, "Are you okay?" and I nod just because.

She smiles again and walks, ready to go to her room. I watch her walk and watch as she climbs the steps, but before she reaches the second floor I get out of my chair.

"Zelda!” I say to her without thinking, and louder than I have ever spoken. The Princess turns quickly, somewhat frightened, and looks at me with her eyes wide open.

"Link?" she asks, with her hand over her heart.

I stay a few seconds watching her, because I don't know what to say after I yelled at her in that way. Just like in my memory, I feel my cheeks getting hot, and I hope she can't tell by the fireplace light and candles, but finally I swallow and speak. "I wanted to tell you that..." I look at my hands and I regret my words, but I don't stop talking. "I'm not the best with words, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to act. I-if you ever need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to tell me, and I'll help you any way I can.”

Zelda opens her eyes wide, surprised. After a few seconds she looks down, and smiles, "Thank you very much," she says. She looks at me again. "In fact, I was thinking... I mean, when I was with Purah we talked about many things, including what Impa expects from me. She walks towards me, down the steps. "And I'm still not quite sure if I want to do it now, but that doesn't mean I don't want to do it in the future.” She has walked to within a metre of me and looks at me with a small smile. "What I know is that I want to know this new world, this new Hyrule. And I want you to come with me because you know it better than anyone else.” She takes my hand in hers and squeezes it. "Would you do that for me?"

"Of course" I answer without hesitation.

"Thank you very much, Link," she says. She squeezes my hand again, and finally let it go, so I put it down. "Good night" she says, tilting her head a little. I feel a pressure in my cheek and I realize that she has kissed me, but now she is quickly climbing the stairs, almost jumping.

My heart beats quickly, partly because of the many words I said and partly because of the kiss, and the thought of traveling again, but now in company, moves me so much, and more when I think of all there is to show to Zelda.

And maybe on this trip I can learn more about myself and my past. Maybe I'll find a clue about Aryll.

Maybe, just maybe… I’ll find out what I’m looking for. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people! I'm back. So sorry about the delay but well... shit happens. But don't worry, I will finish this fic, I swear. 
> 
> So, Aryll is here, yes. If you have read my other fic -Before everything went wrong- you know her and if you haven't, well, I decided that Link needed a little sister. 
> 
> Anyways, the real deal begins now, and obviously our couple will travel together. 
> 
> PD: If you see any typos, please notice me. English is not my first lenguage so I may fuck up. Sorry
> 
> See you soon! xoxo Andy


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